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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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http://archive.org/details/rossettipapersOOross 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


a 


RossETTi  Papers 

1862  to  1870 


A  COMPILATION  BY 

WILLIAM    MICHAEL  ROSSETTI 


C'est  par  la  qu'ont  passe  des  hommes  disparus 

Victor  Hugo 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1903 


THE  DEDICATION  OF  THIS  BOOK 
WAS  ACCEPTED  BY 
TWO  OF  MY  BEST  FRIENDS, 
DESERVEDLY  AND  HIGHLY  PRIZED 
BY  DANTE  AND  CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI 

MARIE   STILLMAN   AND   WILLIAM   JAMES  STILLMAN 

I  NOW  DEDICATE  IT  TO 

MARIE  STILLMAN 

AND  TO  THE  CHERISHED  MEMORY  OF  HER 
HUSBAND 


W.  M.  ROSSETTI 


PREFACE 


A  VERY  few  words  may  suffice  for  ushering-in  this  volume. 

In  1899  I  published  two  separate  books — named  respec- 
tively, Ruskin,  Rossetti,  Prceraphaelitisin,  and  Prceraphaelite 
Diaries  and  Letters.  They  both  consist  of  letters,  journals, 
and  similar  papers,  of  old  date.  The  main  though  not  the 
exclusive  object  of  these  books  is  to  show  forth  the  career 
of  my  brother  Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti.  They  carried  the 
record  up  to  February  1862,  when  his  Wife  died  :  and  in  the 
present  volume  I  prolong  the  record  up  to  April  1870, 
when  his  first  book  of  original  poetry,  entitled  Poems^  was 
published. 

As  in  the  two  volumes  mentioned  above,  so  also  here,  I 
adopt  a  strictly  chronological  arrangement  of  my  materials, 
whatever  may  be  the  diversity  of  subject-matter.  Diaries 
however  are  allowed  to  run  on  uninterruptedly  year  by 
year. 

Where  I  make  an  omission  from  any  document,  I  mark 
the  fact  by  dots.  In  the  volume  named  RuskiUy  Rossetti, 
Prceraphaelitism,  I  explained  that  the  passages  omitted  are 
very  generally  such  as  would  be  of  little  or  no  interest  to  the 
reader ;  although  occasionally  it  happens  that  something 
which  might  be  of  interest  is  excluded  on  other  grounds. 
In  prefacing  the  Prceraphaelite  Diaries  and  Letters^  I  might 
have  repeated  the  same  observation :  I  thought  it  superfluous 
to  do  so,  and  some  critics  raised  a  query  as  to  what  could 
have  been  the  motive  for  the  omissions.  Therefore,  with 
respect  to  the  present  volume,  I  recur  to  my  original  state- 
ment, which  once  again  holds  good.    I  would  not  deny  that, 

vii 


viii 


PREFACE 


in  a  certain  sense,  letters  read  better  if  given  without  the 
omission  of  even  unimportant  matter;  but,  apart  from  my 
reluctance  to  include  what  is  really  trivial,  I  must,  in  such  a 
compilation  as  the  present,  economize  my  space. 

In  various  instances  I  have  had  to  consult  the  writers  of 
letters,  or  the  representatives  of  the  writers.  Ready  per- 
mission for  publishing  has  been  accorded,  and  for  this  I 
tender  my  thanks. 

Wm.  M.  Rossetti. 

London, /line  1900. 


It  may  serve  the  reader's  convenience  if  I  here  give  a 
slight  account  of  some  leading  contents  of  this  volume. 

Year  1862. — The  death  of  Mrs  Dante  Rossetti.  The 
removal  of  Dante  Rossetti  from  Chatham  Place  to  Lincoln's 
Inn  Fields,  and  to  No.  16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea.  William 
Blake,  and  Alexander  Gilchrist's  Life  of  him.  My  trip  to 
Italy  with  William  Bell  Scott.  Froude  in  his  editorial 
connexion  with  Fi'asers  Magazine.  These  matters  are 
treated  of  in  letters  from  Scott,  Rossetti,  Mrs  Gilchrist, 
Frederick  Tatham,  John  Linnell  Junr.,  and  Froude,  and  in 
my  Diary,  etc.    See  especially  Nos.  i,  2,  7,  15,  16,  10,  14. 

Year  1863. — Blake  and  Gilchrist  (as  above).  My  Brother's 
trip  with  me  in  Belgium.  These  matters  are  treated  of  in 
a  letter  from  William  Haines  and  in  my  Diary,  etc.  See 
especially  Nos.  23,  30. 

Year  1864. — Dante  Rossetti's  hobby  for  collecting  blue 
china.  His  relations  with  Mr  Dunlop  as  a  proposing 
purchaser  of  his  pictures.  His  picture  entitled  Found. 
Christina  Rossetti's  suggested  new  volume  of  poems,  and 
her  poem  The  Prince's  Progi^ess.  W.  J.  Stillman's  position 
as  United  States  Consul  in  Rome.  My  trip  to  Venice, 
Bergamo,  etc.  The  Exhibition  of  Madox  Brown's  pictures 
and  designs.  These  matters  are  treated  of  in  letters  from 
Dante  Rossetti,  Christina  Rossetti,  and  Stillman,  and  in 


PREFACE 


ix 


my  Diary,  etc.  See  especially  Nos.  40,  46,  55,  41,  57,  43, 
44,  58. 

Year  1865. — My  translation  of  Dante's  hiferno^  and 
article  on  English  Opinion  on  the  American  War,  My  ex- 
periences at  some  "spiritual"  seances.  Christina  Rossetti's 
chest-malady.  Her  trip  in  Switzerland  and  North  Italy 
with  our  Mother  and  myself.  The  Madox  Brown  Exhibi- 
tion. The  strained  relations  between  Ruskin  and  Dante 
Rossetti.  The  collapse  of  commissions  given  to  Dante 
Rossetti  by  Mr  Dunlop  and  Mr  Heugh.  These  matters 
are  treated  of  in  letters  from  Teodorico  Pietrocola-Rossetti, 
Professor  Norton,  Carlyle,  Ruskin,  and  Dante  Rossetti, 
and  in  my  Diary  and  Memoranda,  etc.  See  especially 
Nos.  61,  107,  105,  70,  86,  80,  88,  95,  96,  99. 

Year  1866. — Barone  Kirkup's  spiritual  experiences,  and 
particularly  with  the  "  spirit  of  Dante."  His  adhesion  to 
the  theories  of  Gabriele  Rossetti  concerning  Dante  etc. 
My  account  of  a  trip  to  Naples ;  Swinburne's  pamphlet 
on  his  Poems  and  Ballads;  Ruskin's  return  to  Dante 
Rossetti's  house.  My  booklet,  Swinburne's  Poems  and 
Ballads^  a  Criticism.  Some  scraps  from  a  notebook  of 
Dante  Rossetti.  These  matters  are  treated  of  in  letters 
from  Kirkup  and  Professor  Norton,  and  in  my  Diary,  etc. 
See  especially  Nos.  112,  115,  132,  119,  125,  120. 

Year  1867. — My  account  of  a  visit  to  Swinburne's 
paternal  home ;  the  removal  of  myself  and  others  to  No. 
56  Euston  Square  (5  Endsleigh  Gardens) ;  the  collision  of 
James  Whistler  with  the  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club ;  my 
selection  from  Walt  Whitman's  Poems ;  the  condition  of 
Dante  Rossetti's  eyesight.  A  list  of  subjects  suitable  for 
pictures.  The  Cretan  Insurrection.  The  beginnings  of 
Oliver  Madox  Brown  as  a  painter.  Dante  Rossetti's 
picture  Founds  and  his  design  Aspecta  Mednsa.  Whitman's 
Leaves  of  Grass.  The  Firm  of  Morris,  Marshall,  Faulkner, 
&  Co.  These  matters  are  treated  of  in  my  Diary,  and  in 
letters  from  Stauros  Dilberoglue,  Dante  Rossetti,  James 
Leathart,  Whitman,  and  Warington  Taylor,  etc.  See 
especially  Nos.  137,  146,  140,  144,  148,  153,  166,  161,  162, 


X 


PREFACE 


Year  1868. — My  account  of  Browning's  poem  The  Rmg 
and  the  Book;  my  notes  on  Shelley  in  Notes  and  Queries^ 
and  my  edition  of  Shelley's  Poems,  with  notes  and  memoir ; 
Dante  Rossetti's  picture  of  Dante's  Dream ;  the  pamphlet, 
by  Swinburne  and  myself,  on  pictures  in  the  Royal 
Academy  etc. ;  my  brochure  on  Italian  Coin^tesy-Books ; 
my  trip  to  Venice,  with  robbery  of  cash  ensuing ;  my 
collation  of  Boccaccio's  Filostrato  with  Chaucer's  Troylus ; 
the  condition  of  my  Brother's  eyesight  during  his  stay  at 
Penkill  Castle.  Dante  Rossetti's  first  connexion  with 
William  Graham  as  a  picture-buyer.  Whitman's  Leaves  of 
Grass  etc.  Oliver  Brown's  first  exhibited  painting.  The 
Infant  fason  and  the  Centaur.  These  matters  are  treated 
of  in  my  Diary,  in  letters  from  William  Allingham, 
Graham,  Oliver  Brown,  and  Addington  Symonds,  and  in 
an  article  written  by  W.  D.  O'Connor.  See  especially  Nos. 
175,  206,  184,  190,  196,  194. 

Year  1869. — My  account  of  my  edition  of  Shelley's 
Poems,  and  of  a  compilation  of  Shelley's  autobiographical 
writings ;  of  the  series  Moxon's  Popular  Poets,  edited  by 
me ;  of  the  illness  of  John  Lucas  Tupper  as  my  travelling- 
companion  in  Italy ;  of  my  acquaintance  with  Edward 
John  Trelawny ;  of  the  rupture  between  Frederick  Sandys 
and  Dante  Rossetti ;  of  Mrs  Gilchrist  as  an  admirer  of 
Whitman's  poems ;  of  the  privately  printed  collection  of 
Dante  Rossetti's  Poems,  and  of  the  recovery  of  other 
poems  by  him  from  the  coffin  of  his  Wife ;  of  the  Byron- 
Stowe  scandal ;  of  the  arrival  of  W.  J.  Stillman  in 
London  from  Crete ;  of  Dr  Hake's  acquaintance  with  my 
Brother.  Dante  Rossetti's  pictures,  Dante's  Dream,  and 
Found.  His  Nonsense  Verses.  These  matters  are  treated 
of  in  my  Diary  and  letters,  and  in  letters  from  Dr 
Garnett,  Dante  Rossetti,  Dr  Hake,  and  William  Graham, 
etc.    See  especially  Nos.  210,  212,  242,  232,  252,  267,  273. 

Year  1870. — My  account  concerning  Trelawny;  Dante 
Rossetti  with  Stillman  at  Scalands,  Sussex,  and  the  issue 
of  his  volume  named  Poems ;  Swinburne's  Songs  befoj-e 
Sunrise.    My  edition  of  Shelley's  Poems.    Whitman,  and 


PREFACE 


xi 


the  article  of  Professor  Dowden  regarding  him.  Critiques 
on  Dante  Rossetti's  Poems,  and  the  anticipated  hostility 
of  Robert  Buchanan  to  them.  Stillman's  approaching 
re-marriage.  These  matters  are  treated  of  in  my  Diary, 
and  in  letters  from  Allingham,  Dowden,  Dante  Rossetti, 
etc.    See  especially  Nos.  275,  284,  288,  297,  302. 


CONTENTS. 


NO. 

DATE. 

WRITER. 

PERSON  ADDRESSED, 
OR  HEADING. 

PAGE. 

I 

1862 

February  19  . 

Wm.  Bell  Scott  . 

Wm.  Rossetti. 

I 

2 

„       22  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

2 

3 

March  27 

Lord  Vernon 

Dante  Rossetti 

3 

4 

May  4  . 

Wm.  Bell  Scott  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

3 

5 

)) 

»    13  • 

Julia  Cameron  . 

J)  • 

4 

6 

5) 

„    14  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

5 

7 

)J 

„    22  . 

Anne  Gilchrist  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

5 

8 

55 

June   I  . 

F.  T.  Palgrave  . 

6 

9 

)) 

„    16  . 

Dr  Furnivall 

)j  • 

6 

lO 

5J 

July  2  to 

August  12 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

7 

1 1 

July  12  . 

John  Ruskin 

Dante  Rossetti 

12 

12 

» 

August  21 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

.  14 

13 

J5 

August  (?) 

>) 

•  14 

14 

)J 

October  20 

J.  A.  Froude 

Wm.  Rossetti 

•  15 

15 

)) 

November  6  . 

Frederick  Tatham 

» 

.  16 

16 

5) 

December  2  . 

John  Linnell  Jun. 

)) 

•  17 

17 

J) 

II  . 

Anne  Gilchrist  . 

)) 

.  18 

18 

)> 

„        16  . 

Frederick  Tatham 

J) 

•  19 

19 

» 

21  . 

John  Linnell  Jun. 

>) 

20 

20 

21  . 

Anne  Gilchrist 

J) 

20 

21 

24 

John  Linnell  Sen. 

» 

21 

22 

1863  January  7 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

22 

23 

February  5 

Wm.  Haines 

Wm.  Rossetti 

•  23 

24 

May   2  . 

.    Anne  Gilchrist  . 

.  25 

25 

» 

June  15  . 

.    John  Ruskin 

.  25 

26 

)) 

„    16  . 

.    W.  J.  Stillman  . 

.  26 

27 

5) 

July  19  . 

.    Anne  Gilchrist  . 

.  27 

28 

)> 

.    Madox  Brown 

Lucy  Brown  (Rossetti)  28 

29 

)) 

August  24 

.    Professor  Norton 

Dante  Rossetti 

.  29 

30 

3) 

September 

3  to  1 1  . 

.    Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

•  30 

Ttiii 


PERSON  ADDRESSED, 

NO. 

DATE. 

WRITER. 

OR  HEADING. 

31 

1863  October  29 

J.  A.  Froude 

Wm.  Rossetti 

39 

32 

)j 

November  6  . 

Anne  Gilchrist  . 

55 

40 

33 

)? 

18  . 

33  • 

55 

41 

34 

)) 

23  . 

55  • 

55 

43 

35 

25  . 

55 

33 

43 

36 

1864  January  15 

Philip  Hamerton. 

35 

44 

37 

53  24 

35 

53 

45 

38 

5> 

iviarcn  20 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

46 

39 

)) 

April  10  . 

Philip  Hamerton. 

Wm.  Rossetti 

48 

40 

5) 

(?) 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

49 

41 

3) 

May  7  . 

Christina  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

50 

42 

3) 

(r)  June 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

The  Seed  of  David 

50 

43 

)J 

„  10  . 

W.  J.  Stillman  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

51 

44 

)> 

55  14  to 

July  14  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

54 

45 

)) 

55    19  • 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

59 

46 

5) 

August  II 

» 

60 

47 

)) 

„  12 

61 

48 

35 

35  23 

» 

55 

62 

49 

53 

5,  25 

„ 

62 

50 

33 

September   i  . 

» 

63 

51 

55 

5  • 

55 

33 

63 

52 

35 

November  21  . 

J.  A.  Froude 

Wm.  Rossetti. 

63 

53 

55 

(?)... 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

64 

54 

55 

November  24  . 

35 

Allan  P.  Paton 

65 

55 

53 

December  5  . 

53 

Madox  Brown 

66 

56 

55 

8  . 

55 

33 

67 

57 

55 

23  . 

Christina  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

67 

58 

55 

31  • 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

70 

59 

1865  January  9 

Frederic  Shields . 

Dante  Rossetti 

70 

60 

55 

10  . 

Christina  Rossetti 

33 

72 

61 

33 

23  . 

Teodorico  Pietro- 

cola-Rossetti  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

73 

62 

3) 

55  30 

Christina  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

74 

63 

55 

February   i  . 

35 

» 

75 

64 

33 

6  . 

5) 

76 

65 

35 

10  . 

55 

35 

77 

66 

55 

28  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

78 

67 

35 

March  i 

Thomas  Keightley  Wm.  Rossetti 

79 

68 

55 

3 

Christina  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

80 

69 

55 

55       6  . 

55 

35 

83 

70 

33 

55  9 

Teodorico  Pietro- 

cola-Rossetti  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

84 

71 

55 

55  10 

Charles  Cayley  . 

86 

CONTENTS  XV 

72  1865    March  .  .  Christina  Rossetti  Dante  Rossetti  .  87 

73  „         5)    19  •  Wm.  Allingham  .  Wm.  Rossetti  .  89 

74  J,    21  .  Dante  Rossetti    .  Madox  Brown  .  90 

75  „         ,5    21  .  Professor  Norton  Dante  Rossetti  .  91 

76  „         „    30  .  Madox  Brown     .  Wm.  Rossetti  .  92 

77  „         5)    31  •  Christina  Rossetti  Dante  Rossetti  .  93 

78  „    April  8  .  .  Alexa  Wilding    .  „  •  •  95 

79  „                 .  .  Christina  Rossetti  „  .  .  96 

80  „    April  15  .  .  Thomas  Carlyle  .  Madox  Brown  .  97 

81  „  (?)  „         .  .  Christina  Rossetti  Dante  Rossetti  .  97 

82  „       „    18  .  .  Dante  Rossetti   .  Madox  Brown  .  100 

83  „(?)  „          .  .  „  .  „          .  .  lOI 

84  „    May  9     .  .  Professor  Norton  Wm.  Rossetti  .  102 

85  „         13     .  .  Julia  Cameron    .  „  .  .  103 

86  „      „  22  to 

June  26   .  .  Wm.  Rossetti     .  Diary     .       .  .  104 

87  „      „    10   .  .  Dante  Rossetti    .  Madox  Brown  .  131 

88  „                .  .  John  Ruskin       .  Dante  Rossetti  .  132 

89  »                .  .  .  „  .  .  133 

90  „                .  .  „  .  „         .  .  135 

91  „                .  .  „  .  „         .  .  136 

92  „                .  .  „  .  „         .  .  137 

93  „    June  26  .  .  Dante  Rossetti    .  Madox  Brown  .  138 

94  „      „    28    .  .  „  .  „         .  .  139 

95  J5    July        .  •  John  Ruskin       .  Dante  Rossetti  .  141 

96  „    August  7  .  Dante  Rossetti    .  Walter  Dunlop  .  144 

97  „       „       8  .  „  .  Madox  Brown  .  146 

98  „        „     21  .  „  .  Walter  Dunlop  .  146 

99  „    September  i  .  „  .  John  Heugh  .  .  147 

100  „          „        14  .  „  .  „         .  .  147 

101  „          „        18  .  „  .  „         .  .  149 

102  „  (?)      „  .  „  .  Walter  Dunlop  .  150 

103  „          „       21  .  „  .  Aldam  Heaton  .  150 

104  „    November  9  .  „  .  Walter  Dunlop  .  153 

105  „          „      II.  Wm.  Rossetti     .  A  Spiritual  (?) 

Seance  (i)   .  .  153 

106  „          „      25  .  „  .  „     (2)   .  .157 

107  „    December   i  .  Professor  Norton  Wm.  Rossetti .  .  161 

108  „          „  8  and  9 .  James  Smetham  .  Dante  Rossetti  .  162 

109  „  „  18  .  Ernest  Gambart  .  „  .  .  164 
no  1866  January  4  .  Wm.  Rossetti     .  A  Spiritual 

Seance  (3)  .  .  165 

111  „        „        9  •  Professor  Norton  Wm.  Rossetti  .  168 

112  „        „       19  .  Barone  Kirkup   .  „  .  .  170 


CONTENTS 


NO. 

DATK. 

WRITER. 

PERSON  ADDRESSED, 
OR  HEADING. 

PAGE, 

1866  February  9  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

173 

5) 

55             20  . 

Charlotte  Polidori 

Memorandum 

175 

5J 

55              27  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

176 

116 

55 

55 

Robert  Browning 

55 

179 

5) 

Anril  OA 

Horace  Scudder  . 

55 

180 

118 

)} 

„     ^4  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

j> 

182 

55 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

184 

55 

\-) 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Scraps  . 

200 

121 

55 

June  4  . 

Christina  Rossetti 

Wm.  Rossetti 

201 

122 

55 

5,     10  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

203 

123 

55 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

204 

124 

55 

August  14 

John  Murray 

55 

205 

125 

5) 

September  12  . 

Professor  Norton 

55 

206 

126 

55 

16 

55  ' 

Wm.  Bell  Scott  . 

55 

207 

127 

55 

55        20  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

5> 

207 

128 

55 

55        -^0  . 

Dante  Rossetti 

Madox  Brown 

209 
210 

129 

55 

October  18 

William  Rossetti 

A  Spiritual 
Seance  (4)  . 

130 

55 

November   i  . 

John  Murray 

Wm.  Rossetti 

214 

131 

55 

12  . 

J.  A.  Froude 

55 

214 

132 

55 

13  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

55 

215 

133 

55 

December   2  . 

John  Ruskin 

55 

216 

134 

55 

22  . 

Teodorico  Pietro- 
cola-Rossetti  . 

55         •  • 

217 

135 

55 

30  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

55 

218 

136 

55 

55       31  • 

Warington  Taylor 

55 

219 

137 

1867  January  i  to 

December  29  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

220 

138 

55 

January  16 

Dora  Greenwell  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

246 

139 

55 

19 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

55 

247 

140 

55 

55      28  . 

Stauros  Dilberoglue  „ 

252 

141 

)> 

March  i 

Sir  Frederick 
Burton 

Madox  Brown 

253 

142 

55 

„  6 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

254 

143 

55 

55  23 

55 

55 

255 

144 

55 

May  10  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Oliver  Brown 

256 

145 

55 

(?)  55         .  . 

55 

55 

257 

146 

55 

(?) 

Wm.  Rossetti 

List  of  Subjects  for 
Pictures 

257 

147 

55 

May  27  . 

John  Ruskin 

Wm.  Rossetti 

263 

148 

55 

55    30  • 

James  Leathart  . 

Dante  Rossetti 

265 

149 

55 

(?)June5   .  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

James  Leathart 

265 

150 

55 

55  24  . 

Madox  Brown 

266 

CONTENTS 


xvii 


NO. 

WPTTTTT? 
W  rvll ilixt* 

PERSON  ADDRESSED, 

OR  HEADING. 

1867  June  30  . 

Wm.  AUingham  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

267 

»   July       .  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

267 

153 

»     „    25  . 

J) 

55 

268 

154 

„    August  5 

55 

269 

155 

„       „  10 

John  Burroughs  . 

Moncure  Conway  . 

270 

156 

„   -  15 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

270 

157 

„    September  27  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

271 

158 

„    October  24 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

272 

159 

„     25  . 

F.  T.  Palgrave  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

273 

160 

»  29 

Stauros  Dilbero- 

glue 

55 

274 

161 

„    November  i  . 

Walt  Whitman  . 

Moncure  Conway  . 

274 

162 

„  (?)  Autumn 

Warington  Taylor 

Dante  Rossetti 

276 

163 

„(?)       »     .  . 

53 

53 

277 

164 

»(?)       „     .  . 

55  • 

5J 

278 

165 

„(?)      „     .  . 

55 

)5 

280 

166 

„  (?)  Nov.  12 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

C.  P.  Matthews 

280 

167 

„  22 

Walt  Whitman  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

283 

168 

„    December  3  . 

A.  B.  Houghton  . 

55 

284 

169 

3  . 

Walt  Whitman  . 

55 

285 

170 

15  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

5) 

288 

171 

1868  January  3 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

C.  p.  Matthews 

290 

172 

„        „        7  ■ 

55 

55 

292 

173 

»        »        9  • 

55 

55 

294 

174 

55 

35 

295 

175 

to  December  31  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

295 

176 

January  16 

Thomas  Dixon  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

340 

177 

„      17  . 

Dr  Furnivall 

55 

341 

178 

„      20  . 

W.  D.  O'Connor. 

35 

342 

179 

„    February  14  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

53 

343 

180 

17  • 

Frederic  Shields  . 

Dante  Rossetti 

345 

181 

„(?)     .       .  . 

Warington  Taylor 

35 

346 

182 

„    March  23 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

348 

183 

»  27 

Horace  Scudder  . 

33 

349 

184 

„    April  9 

Wm.  Graham 

Dante  Rossetti 

350 

185 

,j  21 

Camden  Hotten  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

351 

186 

„     26  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

55 

351 

187 

„       „     28  .  . 

Bertrand  Payne  . 

55 

352 

188 

„    May  18  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

33 

353 

189 

„    20  . 

W.  D.  O'Connor  . 

33 

355 

190 

„(?)     .        .  ■ 

55 

On  Leaves  of  Grass 

356 

191 

J,    May  27  . 

Stauros  Dilbero- 

glue 

Wm.  Rossetti 

359 

xviii 


CONTENTS 


NO. 

DATE. 

WRITER. 

PERSON  ADDRESSED, 
OR  HEADING. 

PAGE. 

192 

1868 

July  23  . 

C.  p.  Maenza 

Dante  Rossetti 

.  360 

5) 

„    26  . 

55 

33 

.  360 

194 

33    26  . 

Oliver  Brown 

Emma  Brown 

.  361 

195 

J) 

August  12 

James  Smetham  . 

Dante  Rossetti 

.  362 

196 

)) 

5,  15 

Addington 
Symonds 

Wm.  Rossetti 

.  363 

197 

)) 

„  19 

55 

55 

.  364 

198 

J) 

„  25 

55 

)) 

•  365 

199 

5) 

5,  31 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

»> 

.  366 

200 

September  18  . 

55  • 

>j 

.  367 

201 

)J 

21  . 

Sir  Frederick 
Burton 

Dante  Rossetti 

.  368 

202 

3> 

October  7 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

.  370 

203 

5) 

November  20  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

.  371 

204 

5) 

30  . 

Wm.  Bell  Scott  . 

55 

.  372 

205 

J) 

December  2  . 

55 

5) 

•  373 

206 

35 

4  . 

Wm.  AUingham  . 

55 

.  374 

207 

55 

18  . 

J5 

55 

.  374 

208 

35 

20  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Wm.  AUingham 

.  376 

209 

35 

22  . 

W.  J.  Stillman  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

•  377 

210 

1869  January  i 

to  December  29 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

.  378 

21  I 

55 

January  22 

W.  J.  Stillman  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

.  419 

212 

55 

February   5  . 

Dr  Garnett 

33 

.  420 

213 

55 

9  • 

Madox  Brown 

)) 

.  420 

214 

55 

15  • 

Dr  Garnett 

35 

.  421 

215 

33 

18  . 

Madox  Brown 

35 

.  421 

216 

33 

23  . 

F.  T.  Palgrave  . 

55 

.  423 

217 

35 

25  . 

53 

55 

.  424 

218 

33 

March  i 

Dr  Garnett 

5) 

.  425 

219 

33 

33  2 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

55 

.  426 

220 

33 

33  8 

James  Smetham  . 

Dante  Rossetti 

.  428 

221 

33 

35  12 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Wm.  AUingham 

•  429 

222 

35 

35  20 

Robert  Browning 

Dante  Rossetti 

.  430 

223 

33 

35  21 

Philip  Hamerton. 

Wm.  Rossetti 

•  431 

224 

33 

35  22 

Dr  Garnett 

55 

•  431 

225 

33 

April  19 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Prof.  Norton 

•  433 

226 

33 

55     19  • 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Frances  Rossetti 

•  434 

227 

33 

3,     21  . 

53 

55 

.  435 

228 

33 

5,     23  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Prof.  Norton 

•  436 

229 

33 

May  4  . 

Smith,  Elder, 
&  Co. 

Dante  Rossetti 

•  437 

230 

53 

„    10  . 

J.  W.  Inchbold  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

.  438 

231 

53 

„    12  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Prof.  Norton 

•  439 

CONTENTS 


NO. 

DATE. 

WRITER, 

PERSON  ADDRESSED, 
OR  HEADING. 

1869  May  20  . 

Madox  Brown 

Wm.  Rossetti 

440 

jj 

(^^  Tune  T 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Frederick  Sandys 

441 

234 

55  J 

55 

55 

444 

235 

)? 

„  18 

55  • 

John  Tupper 

Wm.  Rossetti 

445 

236 

)) 

24 

55  ■^T- 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

55 

446 

237 

>) 

Dr  Garnett 

55 

446 

238 

)) 

Id 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

5) 

448 

239 

55 

..     10  . 

,5      Ay  . 

Lucy  Brown 
(Rossetti) 

Madox  Brown 

449 

240 

?) 

„      20  . 

Mathilde  Blind  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

450 

241 

5) 

August  19 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

452 

242 

55 

55 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

453 

243 

55 

24 

55 

55 

55 

455 

244 

55 

26 

55  -'"^ 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

457 

245 

55 

28 

55 

W.  D.  O'Connor . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

459 

246 

55 

28 

55  '^^ 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

461 

247 

55 

V*/       55  0* 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

462 

248 

55 

September  8 

Madox  Brown 

Lucy  Brown 
(Rossetti)  . 

463 

249 

55 

12  . 
55       i  ^  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

465 

250 

55 

16  . 

55             1  w  . 

55 

55 

467 

251 

55 

October  i 

Wm.  Bell  Scott  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

469 

252 

55 

8 

55  " 

Dr  Hake 

Dante  Rossetti 

470 

253 

55 

II 

55       ^  ^ 

Wm.  Bell  Scott  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

471 

254 

55 

14 

55  "t 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

472 

255 

14 

55 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Dante  Rossetti 

473 

256 

55 

T  C 

55  ^3 

Dr  Garnett 

Wm.  Rossetti 

474 

257 

55 

15  . 

John  Tupper 

55 

475 

258 

55 

(?) 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Madox  Brown 

475 

259 

October  17 

Anne  Gilchrist  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

476 

260 

55 

26 

55 

James  Thursfield 

Dante  Rossetti 

477 

261 

55 

2Q 

55  —y 

Frederic  Shields  . 

55 

478 

262 

55 

55 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

480 

263 

55 

55         J  • 

John  Tupper 

55 

481 

264 

55 

November  14  . 

James  Thursfield 

Dante  Rossetti 

482 

265 

55        16  . 

Conte  Giuseppe 
Ricciardi 

Wm.  Rossetti 

483 

266 

55 

18  . 

Ponsonby  Lyons . 

Lilith  . 

483 

267 

55 

(?)  55 

Wm.  Graham 

Dante  Rossetti 

486 

268 

55 

29  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Wm.  Graham . 

488 

269 

55 

December   i  . 

Wm.  Graham 

Dante  Rossetti 

489 

270 

55 

2  . 

Wm.  Davies 

55 

489 

271 

55 

55          3  • 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Wm.  Davies  . 

490 

272 

55 

17  . 

W.  J.  Stillman  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

492 

CONTENTS 


NO. 

DATE, 

WRITER. 

PERSON  ADDRESSED, 
OR  HEADING. 

PAGE. 

1869  (?)  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Nonsense  Verses  . 

492 

274 

1870  January     i  . 

Anne  Gilchrist 

Wm.  Rossetti 

497 

275 

I  to  . 

April  22 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Diary 

498 

276 

„  (?)  • 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Proposed    Raffle — 
Deverell 

506 

277 

„    January  2 

Anne  Gilchrist  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

507 

278 

JJ  55 

3 

55 

5) 

507 

279 

5)  55 

8  . 

Edward  Trelawny 

55 

508 

280 

??  » 

9  • 

Thomas  Dixon  . 

55 

508 

281 

»  )5 

15  • 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

55 

509 

282 

55  5) 

17  • 

Edward  Trelawny 

55 

510 

283 

55  55 

22 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Prof.  Norton 

511 

284 

55  55 

23  . 

Wm.  Allingham  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

513 

285 

V  55 

27  . 

Mrs  Lynn  Linton 

55 

515 

286 

5  5                5  5 

27  . 

Keningale  Cook  . 

55 

516 

287 

55  55 

30  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

Wm.  Allingham 

516 

288 

„    February   i  . 

Prof.  Dowden 

Wm.  Rossetti 

517 

289 

5)  55 

3 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

» 

518 

290 

55  55 

5  . 

Prof.  Dowden 

519 

291 

55  55 

7  • 

F.  T.  Palgrave  . 

» 

519 

292 

55  55 

10  . 

Prof.  Dowden 

520 

293 

55  55 

1 1 

John  Tupper 

Dante  Rossetti 

521 

294 

55  55 

1 1  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

521 

295 

55  55 

15  . 

John  Pickford 

55 

522 

296 

55  55 

17  . 

Mrs  Lewes 

Dante  Rossetti 

523 

297 

55  55 

23  • 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

W^m.  Rossetti 

524 

298 

„    March  10 

John  Ruskin 

55 

525 

299 

55  55 

19 

Morris  and  Com- 
pany 

A  Bill  . 

525 

300 

55  » 

25  . 

Dante  Rossetti  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

526 

301 

55  April 

}5 

Madox  Brown 

527 

302 

55  55 

II  . 

}} 

Prof.  Norton 

528 

55  55 

24  . 

Barone  Kirkup  . 

Wm.  Rossetti 

530 

CONTENTS 


xxi 


LETTERS  ETC.  FROM  :— 


Allingham,  Wm.  . 

.    73,  151,  206,  207,  284 

Blind,  Mathilde 

240 

Brown,  Lucy  (Rossetti)  . 

■  239 

Brown,  Madox 

.     28,  76,  212,  21  K,  232,  248 

Brown,  Oliver 

IQ4 

Browning,  Robert  . 

.     116,  222 

Burroughs,  John  . 

Burton,  Sir  Frederick  . 

.     141,  201 

Cameron,  Julia 

•    5,  85 

Carlyle,  Thomas  . 

.  80 

Cayley,  Charles 

•  71 

Cook,  Keningale  . 

.  286 

Davies,  Wm.  . 

.  270 

Dilberoglue,  Stauros 

.    140,  160,  191 

Dixon,  Thomas 

.    176,  280 

Dowden,  Professor 

.    288,  290,  292 

Froude,  J.  A.  . 

.    14,  31,  52,  131 

Furnivall,  Dr  . 

•    9,  177 

Gambart,  Ernest  . 

.  109 

Garnett,  Dr  . 

.    212,  214,  218,  224,  237,  256 

Gilchrist,  Anne 

.    7,  17,  20,  24,  27,  32  to  35,  259, 

278 

274, 

277, 

Graham,  Wm. 

.    184,  267,  269 

Greenwell,  Dora  . 

.  138 

Haines,  Wm.  . 

.  23 

Hake,  Dr      .       .  . 

.  252 

Hamerton,  Philip  . 

•    36,  37,  39,  223 

Hotten,  Camden  . 

.  185 

Houghton,  A.  B.  . 

.  168 

Inchbold,  J.  W.  . 

•  230 

Keightley,  Thomas 

.  67 

Kirkup,  Bar  one 

.    112,  115,  118,  123,  127,  132, 

135, 

139, 

142,  143,  157,  170,  179,  182, 

186, 

188, 

199,  200,  203,  219,  236,  238, 

262, 

281, 

303 

Leathart,  James 

.  148 

Lewes,  Mrs  . 

.  296 

Linnell,  John  (Jun.) 

.    16,  19 

xxii 


CONTENTS 


Linnell,  John  (Sen.) 
Linton,  Mrs  Lynn  . 
Lyons,  Ponsonby  . 
Maenza,  CP. 
Morris  and  Company  . 
Murray,  John 
Norton,  Professor  . 
O'Connor,  W.  D.  . 
Palgrave,  F.  T.  . 
Payne,  Bertrand  . 
Pickford,  John 

Pietrocola-Rossetti,  Teodorico 
Polidori,  Charlotte 
Ricciardi,  Conte  Giuseppe  . 
Rossetti,  Christina 

Rossetti,  Dante 


Rossetti,  Wm. 


Ruskin,  John  . 
Scott,  Wm.  Bell 
Scudder,  Horace 
Shields,  Frederic 
Smetham,  James 
Smith,  Elder,  &  Co. 
Stillman,  W.  J. 
Symonds,  Addington 
Tatham,  Frederick 
Taylor,  Warington 
Thursfield,  James  . 
Trelawny,  Edward 
Tupper,  John . 
Vernon,  Lord 
Whitman,  Walt 
Wilding,  Alexa 


NUMBER, 

21 

285 
266 

192,  193 
299 

124,  130 

29,  75,  84,  107,  III,  125 
178,  189,  190,  245 

8,  159,  216,  217,  291 

187 

295 

61,  70,  134 

114 

265 

41,  57,  60,  62  to  65,  68,  69,  72,  77,  79,  81, 
121 

2,  6,  12,  13,  22,  38,  40,  42,  45  to  51,  S3 
to  56,  58,  66,  74,  82,  83,  87,  93,  94, 
96  to  104,  113,  120,  122,  128,  144,  145, 
149,  150,  152,  153,  154,  156,  158,  166, 
171,  172,  173,  174,  202,  225,  228,  231, 
233,  234,  241,  244,  247,  254,  258,  268, 
271,  273,  276,  283,  289,  294,  297,  300, 
301,  302 

10,  30,  44,  86,  105,  106,  no,  119,  129,  137, 
146,  175,  208,  210,  221,  226,  227,  242, 
243,  246,  249,  250,  255,  275,  287 

11,  25,  88  to  92,  95,  133,  147,298 
I,  4,  126,  204,  205,  251,  253 

117,  183 
59,  180,  261 
108,  195,  220 
229 

26,  43,  209,  211,  272 
196,  197,  198 
15,  18 

136,  162  to  165,  181 
260,  264 
279,  282 

235,  257,  263,  293 
3 

161,  167,  169 
78 


CONTENTS 


xxiii 


LETTERS  TO  :— 


AUingham,  Wm.  . 
Brown,  Emma 
Brown,  Lucy  (Rossetti) 
Brown,  Madox 


Brown,  Oliver 
Conway,  Moncure 
Davies,  Wm.  . 
Dunlop,  Walter 
Graham,  Wm. 
Heaton,  Aldam 
Heugh,  John  . 
Leathart,  James 
Matthews,  C.  P. 
Norton,  Professor 
Paton,  Allan  P. 
Rossetti,  Dante 


Rossetti,  Frances 
Rossetti,  Wm. 


Sandys,  Frederick . 


NDMBEB. 

208,  221,  287 
194 

28,  248 

2,  6,   12,   13,  22,  38,  40,  45  to  51,  53,  55, 

56,  58,  66,  74,  80,  82,  83,  87,  93,  94,  97, 
113,  122,  128,  141,  150,  152,  153,  154, 
156,  158,  202,  239,  241,  244,  247,  254, 
258,  301 
144,  145 

155,  161 
271 

96,  98,  102,  104 

268 

103 

99,  100,  lOI 
149 

166,  171  to  174 

225, 228, 231, 283, 302 

54 

3,  II,  29,  41,  57,  59,  60,  62  to  65,  68,  69, 
72,  75,  77,  78,  79,  81,  88  to  92,  95, 
108,  109,  148,  162  to  165,  180,  181,  184, 
192,  193,  195,  201,  220,  222,  229,  242, 
243,  246,  249,  250,  252,  255,  260,  261, 
264,  267,  269,  270,  293,  296 

226,  227 

I,  4,  5,  7,  8,  9,  14  to  21,  23  to  27,  31  to 
37,  39,  43,  52,  61,  67,  70,  71,  73,  76, 
84,  85,  107,  III,  112,  115  to  118,  121, 
123  to  127,  130,  136,  138,  139,  140,  142, 
143,  147,  151,  157,  159,  160,  167  to  170, 
176  to  179,  182,  183,  185  to  189,  191, 
196  to  200,  203  to  207,  209,  211  to  219, 
223,  224,  230,  232,  235  to  238,  240,  245, 
251,  253,  256,  257,  259,  262,  263,  265, 
272,  274,  277  to  282,  284,  285,  286,  288 
to  295,  297,  298,  300,  303 

233, 234 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS. 


I. — William  Bell  Scott  to  William  Rossettl 

[There  was  a  project  pending  between  Mr  Scott  and 
myself  that  we  should  go  together  to  Italy  in  the  course 
of  1862 — which  in  fact  we  did.  My  Brother  did  not  find  it 
convenient  to  accompany  us.] 

Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
19  February  1862. 

My  dear  W., — You  will  believe  we  heard  of  the  death 
of  Mrs  Gabriel  with  sincere  sorrow  and  sympathy  for  him. 
The  circumstance  you  mention,  and  which  we  hear  from 
other  sources,  has  been  the  cause  of  some  notoriety,  adding 
to  the  natural  pain  of  such  a  parting.  Since  having  your 
note,  which  I  have  delayed  answering  till  now  on  that 
account,  I  have  tried  to  ascertain  whether  I  could  go  to 
Italy  now.  To  have  Gabriel  with  us  would,  in  several 
regards,  be  a  great  gain,  and  I  quite  think  he  ought  to  be 
lifted  out  of  his  present  surroundings.  My  going  is  how- 
ever uncertain ;  but,  whether  I  go  or  not,  you  must  consider 
yourself  free  to  accompany  him.  .  .  .  But,  irrespective  of  me, 
why  delay  till  middle  of  April?  Gabriel  should  go  now  if 
at  all ;  indeed,  if  he  does  not  go  now,  it  is  more  than 
likely  he  will  not  go  at  all.  My  knowledge  of  Gabriel 
leads  me  to  fancy  he  will  either  go  away  immediately  or 
not  at  all.  If  he  gets  involved  in  the  interest  of  his 
picture  -  engagements,  he  will  not  leave  them.  But  then, 
indeed,  our  object  would  be  gained ;  he  would  be  in- 

A 


2 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


terested  and  mentally  occupied,  though  not  quite  so  healthily, 
I  dare  say.  .  .  .  Give  Gabriel  my  most  friendly  sympathy, 
and  explain  to  him  my  position. — Ever  yours, 

W.  B.  Scott. 


2. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[Not  long  before  her  death,  Rossetti  had  painted  a  head 
of  his  Wife,  which  he  called  Regina  Cordium.  It  seems  to 
have  belonged  to  Mr  John  Miller  of  Liverpool,  who  was 
now  selling  off  most  of  his  pictures.  My  Brother  did  not 
at  this  date  wish  to  be  under  an  obligation  to  Mr  Gambart 
the  picture-dealer,  as  the  latter  was  pressing  him  rather 
inconveniently  in  relation  to  some  pictures  which  he  had 
undertaken  to  paint  for  the  late  Mr  Flint,  and  which  he 
had  not  yet  completed.  The  reference  to  "Tudor  House" 
indicates  that  Rossetti  was  thinking  of  removing — as  he 
soon  afterwards  did — to  that  residence.] 

Albany  Street,  London. 
22  February  1862. 

My  dear  Brown, — Would  you  write  to  Mr  Miller  about 
the  little  head  of  Lizzie,  if  you  have  not  yet  done  so.  It 
is  called  Regina  Cordium.  It  seems  to  require  to  be  done 
at  once,  as  Gambart,  meeting  William  in  the  street, 
explained  his  readiness  to  withdraw  the  picture  at  once 
from  the  sale ;  but  I  had  rather  Mr  Miller  were  to  effect 
it  if  he  likes  to  do  so — as  otherwise  I  should  be  under 
obligation  to  G[ambar]t,  and  he  may  become  troublesome. 
House-affairs  get  still  further  complicated — Tudor  House, 
Cheyne  Walk,  seeming  to  offer  probably  on  such  very 
reduced  terms  that  it  would  seem  a  sin  to  let  it  slip.  I 
shall  know  more  to-day.  Perhaps  I  may  come  down  this 
evening  to  you — indeed  most  probably. — Yours, 

D.  G.  R. 


LORD  VERNON,  1862 


3 


3.— Lord  Vernon  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  "  present "  which  Rossetti  had  sent  to  Lord  Vernon 
must  have  been  his  book  TJie  Early  Italian  Poets.  The 
poem  by  Ciullo  d'Alcamo,  translated  in  that  volume,  is 
regarded  as  the  earliest  of  all  the  compositions  there  in- 
cluded.] 

Tresco  Abbey,  Isles  of  Scilly. 
27  March  1862. 

Dear  Sir, — I  see  with  shame  that  I  have  omitted  to  do 
that  which  I  thought  I  had  done  long  ago — I  mean, 
thanked  you  for  your  kind  and  very  acceptable  present. 
I  can  only  hope  that  I  may  have  soon  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  you  and  thanking  you  in  person.  I  am  the  more 
gratified  by  this  present  because  I  not  only  respected  the 
character  and  admired  the  talent  of  your  dear  Father,  but 
loved  him  for  his  simplicity,  gentleness,  and  warmth  of 
heart.  I  hope  some  day  or  another  you  will  pay  me  a 
visit  at  Sudbury.  I  have  got  some  MSS.  of  Fazio  degli 
Uberti  and  Brunetto  Latini  (not  autographs  but  old),  and 
I  should  like  to  consult  you  about  them.  Are  you  aware 
that  I  was  so  enamoured  of  Ciullo  d'Alcamo  that  I  took 
some  pains  to  get  the  text  rectified,  as  you  will  see  in  the 
last  edition  of  Nannucci's  Manuale  della  Letteratura  ? — I 
am,  dear  Sir,  yours  very  truly, 

Vernon. 


4. — William  Bell  Scott  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  Brother  of  Mr  Scott  here  referred  to  was  (but  I 
need  hardly  specify  it)  the  painter  David  Scott.] 

Newcastle. 
4  May  1862. 

My  dear  W., —  .  .  .  Have  you  seen  the  Great  Exhibition 
yet?    I  suppose  one  must  calculate  on  a  number  of  days 


4 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


for  that  alone  in  London.  Tell  Gabriel  I  wrote  Redgrave 
(much  against  the  grain,  he  may  be  sure)  about  my 
Brother's  pictures.  Long  ago  and  often  I  have  formed  the 
determination  to  do  or  say  no  more  in  the  way  of  taking 
care  of  my  Brother's  fame,  but  still  things  turn  up  to 
induce  me  to  break  that  resolve.  The  gods  are  against 
him.  Somehow  or  other  the  world  ignores  him,  and 
nothing  any  one  can  say  seems  to  effect  any  result  or 
remain  audible.  The  fact  is,  his  art  does  not  belong  to 
the  day.  Following  his  natural  tendencies,  he  worked  on 
an  Ancient  Master's  basis  of  education ;  and  the  great 
characteristic  of  his  manner — that  power  of  hand  he  showed 
always,  and  proudly — is  not  only  lost  in  English  art ;  it  is 
misunderstood,  and  disqualifies  a  man.  How  could  his 
pictures  be  well  hung  when  Redgrave  (the  painter  of  those 
pictures  at  South  Kensington,  TJie  Widow,  Ophelia,  Gulliver) 
and  Creswick  were  the  hangers  ? — Ever  yours, 

W.  B.  Scott. 


5.— Julia  Cameron  to  William  Rossettl 

[This  extract  of  a  letter  from  a  lady  well  known  in 
society  and  as  a  photographic  enthusiast  relates  to 
Christina  Rossetti's  first  published  volume.  Goblin  Market, 
etc.  The  name  of  Henry  Taylor  will  be  recognized  as 
that  of  the  distinguished  author  of  Philip  van  Artevelde.'] 

Brent  Lodge,  Hendon. 
13  May  1862. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — If  you  and  your  Sister  have 
judged  of  me  by  seemings,  you  must  both  have  thought 
me  unworthy  and  ungrateful  of  the  book  which  is  really 
precious  to  me.  It  has  given  me  a  great  longing  to  know 
your  Sister ;  but  you  don't  and  won't  understand  how  much 
this  discourse  with  her  soul  makes  me  feel  as  if  I  did 
know  her  now,  and  always  affectionately  as  well  as  admir- 


ANNE  GILCHRIST,  1862 


5 


ingly.  The  first  thing  I  did  with  my  gift  was  to  lend  it 
to  my  great  friend,  Henry  Taylor — he  cared  very  much 
for  it ;  the  next  thing  I  did  was  to  enjoy  the  feast  myself ; 
and  the  third  thing  I  do  is  to  say  my  grace  to  the  giver.  .  .  . 
— Yours  ever  truly, 

Julia  Margaret  Cameron. 


6. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[By  "  Heaton "  my  Brother  meant  Mr  John  Aldam 
Heaton,  then  an  art-loving  manufacturer  in  Yorkshire, 
afterwards  a  decorative  artist  in  London  ;  and  by  "  Webb  " 
he  meant  Mr  Philip  Webb  the  architect,  at  that  time  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Morris,  Marshall,  Faulkner,  &  Co.] 

59  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 
14  May  1862. 

Dear  Brown, — Heaton  and  Webb  are  coming  here  to 
tea  to-morrow  (Thursday)  at  eight  or  nine.  Will  you 
come?    I  hope  you  will. 

I  have  been  to  the  International,  and  was  absolutely 
knocked  down  and  trodden  on  by  H.  Leys. — Yours, 

D.  G.  R. 


7. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

[Readers  will  readily  perceive  that  this  extract  refers 
to  the  Life  of  William  Blake  by  Alexander  Gilchrist. 
When  Gilchrist's  sudden  death  took  place  at  the  end  of 
1 86 1,  the  Life  was  practically  completed,  but  not  in  every 
detail.  My  Brother  and  myself  devoted  a  great  deal  of 
attention  to  the  task,  congenialjin  all  respects,  of  bringing 
the  MS.  into  a  condition  suited  for  publication  :  but  I  may 
repeat  here  (what  I  have  had  occasion  to  say  before,  and 
what  appears  in  Mrs  Gilchrist's  letter  of  2  May  1863,  No. 


6 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


24)  that  the  Life  itself,  and  in  great  part  the  critical 
remarks  embodied  in  it,  were  the  authentic  and  undivided 
work  of  Gilchrist,  and  only  required  to  be  supplemented 
in  some  of  the  outlying  matter.  I  may  also  say  that  my 
extracts  from  numerous  interesting  letters  addressed  to  me 
by  Mrs  Gilchrist  would  be  much  more  copious,  were  it  not 
that  those  letters  have  already  been  drawn  upon  in  the 
book  entitled  Anne  Gilchrist^  her  Life  and  Writings^  edited 
by  Herbert  H.  Gilchrist,  1887.] 

Brookbank  Cottage,  Shottermill,  Haslemere. 
22  May  1862. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  find  blanks  left  in  the  MS.  where  should 
follow  some  brief  description  of  The  Marriage  of  Heaven 
and  Hell,  The  Book  of  Ahania,  The  Song  of  Los,  Asia,  and 
Africa.  The  kind  helpfulness  and  thoroughness  with  which 
you  have  hitherto  met  my  requests  makes  me  bold  to  ask 
that  you  would  furnish  me  with  a  brief  general  description 
of  each  of  these — if  indeed  you  can  command  sufficient 
leisure  for  the  purpose.  .  .  .  — Yours  very  truly, 

Annie  Gilchrist. 


8.— F.  T.  Palgrave  to  William  Rossettl 

[Welbeck  Street.] 
I  fune  1862. 

Dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  Tennyson  when  here  looked  at  Miss 
Rossetti's  poems,  and  expressed  great  pleasure  to  me  at 
what  he  read.  But  one  never  gets  him  to  formularize  a 
neat  Saturday  or  London  Reviezv  judgment  on  these 
matters. — Ever  truly  yours, 

F.  T.  Palgrave. 


9.— Dr  Furnivall  to  William  Rossettl 

[This  refers  to  the  work  which  I  was  doing  for  the  great 
English  Dictionary  projected  by  the  Philological  Society,  and 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1862 


7 


now  in  course  of  publication  through  the  Clarendon  Press. 
I  received  for  sub-editing  quotations  proper  to  the  letter  L. 
(not  any  other  letter),  and  attended  to  a  large  portion  of 
them.  I  dare  say  however  that  my  sub-editing  work  makes 
— and  deserves  to  make — very  little  appearance  in  the  final 
redaction  of  the  Dictionary.] 

3  Old  Square. 
1 6  Jutie  1862. 

Dear  Rossetti, — Many  thanks  for  your  note,  with  its  offer 
from  you  to  act  as  one  of  the  sub-editors,  and  its  announce- 
ment of  coming  extracts.  .  .  .  For  a  sub-editorship  I  shall 
be  very  pleased  to  entrust  the  extracts  to  you — for  two  or 
three  letters  say ;  and  will  endeavour  to  fill  in,  or  get  filled 
in,  the  roots  etc.  that  you  have  space  for.  .  .  .  — Yours 
very  truly, 

F.  T.  FURNIVALL. 

.  .  .  Will  you  too  bestow  your  carte  on  our  Dictionary 
collection  of  contributors'  likenesses  ?  One  of  our  best  men, 
Eastwood,  sent  his  carte  up,  and  urged  me  to  ask  every 
reader  for  his  phiz.  This  I  am  doing  as  I  write  about  other 
matters,  and  have  got  a  dozen  in.  The  book  will  be  one  of 
some  interest. 


10. — William  Rossetti — Diary. 

[I  give  here  some  extracts  from  the  Diary  which  I  kept 
during  my  small  continental  trip  with  W.  B.  Scott  It  will 
be  easily  understood  that  during  this  trip,  and  similarly 
during  others  later  on,  a  great  portion  of  my  Diary  consisted 
of  rapid  remarks  upon  the  works  of  art  which  I  inspected, 
and  to  some  extent  upon  matters  of  scenery.  These  for  the 
most  part  I  suppress,  as  relating  to  things  exceedingly  well- 
known  to  travelled  and  cultivated  readers,  and  as  not  being 
of  such  weight  or  development  as  to  warrant  quotation. 
Here  and  there  some  items  of  that  kind  are  extracted — 


8 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


along  with  other  items  of  a  more  general  or  more  individual 
character.] 

Wednesday^  2  July  1862. — Started  with  Scott  for  Italy. 
.  .  .  On  to  Paris.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  3. — Campana  Museum  (Musee  Napoleon  3),  a 
most  rich  collection  of  old  Italian  paintings  and  sculpture, 
several  of  which  seem  unaccountable  omissions  from  the 
selection  made  for  South  Kensington.  Majolica  fair ;  Etrus- 
can vases,  statues  (antique),  gems,  ornaments,  terra-cottas, 
etc.  .  .  .  The  paintings  impress  me  as  a  larger  and  more 
satisfactory  show  of  the  old  Italian  schools  than  any  other 
I  know.  The  old  Umbrian  school  before  Perugino,  with  a 
Botticelli  tinge  in  greater  ptirism,  very  lovely.  .  .  . 

Wednesday^  9. — Padua.  Went  to  a  photograph  and 
book  shop,  where  the  youth  showed  me  a  Giuseppe  Giusti 
of  Carducci's  -edition.  I  asked  whether  they  had  Rossetti 
in  same  series.  "  Yes,"  and  produced  it ;  but  it  is  now 
prohibited — prohibited  at  first  appearance,  afterwards  per- 
mitted ;  again  prohibited  within  a  fortnight  or  so.  "  What 
would  be  the  penalty  for  selling  ? "  (which  the  youth  was 
ready  to  do).  "  Non  lieve  pena."  *  Shrug  of  shoulder  to 
enquiry  why  now  forbidden.  Era  niio  padre'' — "J/^  ne 
consolor  \  Had  before  this  produced  Teodorico's  Life.% 
Sacristan  (?)  of  S.  Giustina  called  the  soldiers  'ste  bestie,% 
Omnibus-driver  yesterday  in  Milan,  same  term  to  a  monk 
{i.e.  all  monks)  I  asked  about,  and  would  brusarli  tutti.  || 
Saw  two  Austrian  (I  assume)  officers  come  into  Pedrocchi's 
for  dinner,  and  no  hostility — the  only  case  in  which  I  have 
noticed  any  amalgamation  whatever  between  the  Austrians 
and  Italians.  ...  In  the  evening  to  Venice. 

Friday^  11. — Met  Inchbold.  Took  lodging  4205  Riva 
degli  Schiavoni,  5  francs  a  night  for  a  week.  .  .  .  Tea  at 

*  No  light  penalty. 

t  He  was  my  father. — Most  glad  to  hear  it. 

%  I.e.y  a  brief  Life  of  Gabriele  Rossetti^  written  by  Teodorico  Pietro- 
cola-Rossetti. 

§  Those  beasts.  [|  Burn  them  all. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI -DIARY,  1862 


9 


Inchbold's.  Conversation  with  his  landlady,  an  intelligent 
woman  of  some  thirty-four.  Venice  very  stagnant  these 
three  years ;  wants  the  Austrians  turned  out,  and  things 
would  revive ;  could  turn  them  out,  as  the  Italians  have  had 
a  career  of  conquest  through  the  whole  land.  Believes 
nothing — men  and  women  die  like  plants.  No  time  to  say 
prayers.  Pope  and  Devil  much  the  same.  Goes  to  church 
sometimes  as  it  happens  to  come  ;  people  go  there  to  see 
each  other  and  keep  appointments.  Many  women  are  of 
her  way  of  thinking.  The  lower  classes  who  cannot  read 
take  down  what  they  are  told  by  the  priests.  Never  goes  to 
confession.  .  .  . 

Mojtday,  14. — A  curious  instance  of  the  stagnant  un- 
business-like  condition  of  Venice  : — Scott,  having  burned  a 
small  hole  in  his  trousers  with  a  lucifer,  wanted  to  have 
them  repaired  ;  the  landlady  told  us  there  is  no  such  person 
as  a  jobbing  tailor  for  such  a  thing.  It  could  be  given  to 
a  woman,  and  one  must  take  one's  chance  of  how  it  would 
be  done.  .  .  .  Gondola  to  Murano.  .  .  .  Church  under  restora- 
tion for  the  last  four  years,  but  little  or  nothing  done.  The 
idea  is  to  take  away  all  the  modernizations,  bringing  to  light 
some  concealed  parts  of  the  old  work,  and  completing  it 
in  same  style.  Great  mosaic  Madonna  over  altar  very  fine. 
Custode  remembered,  on  my  referring  to  him,  "  Signor 
Roveschin,"  *  who  stayed  there  about  two  months,  coming 
constantly  with  his  bella  moglie.\  "  They  would  be  horrified 
if  they  saw  its  present  condition,"  he  said.  Asked  me  to 
remember  him  to  Ruskin,  for  whom  he  had  conceived  a 
great  regard.  Again  to  Scuola  di  San  Rocco.  Curious 
half-grotesque  wood  sculpture  of  Tintoret  holding  a  scroll 
inscribed  with  a  pictorial  confession  of  faith  ;  easy  enough 
to  decipher,  but  did  not  get  it  sufficiently  up. — The  great  cry 
in  Venice  is  Acqua  fresca — Fresca  Vacqua — come  ghiasso.X 
and  so  on  ;  one  enthusiast  said,  O  che  ghiasso  !  §  .  .  . 

Wednesday^  16. — Ascended  the  great  Campanile  to  the 
chief  (ist)  gallery  :  no  stairs  inside,  but  an  inclined  plane. 


/.(?.,  Ruskin. 
I  Fresh  water — like  ice. 


t  Handsome  wife. 
§  Oh  what  ice  ! 


10 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


making  the  ascent  very  easy.  A  splendid  view.  Canals 
among  streets  wholly  invisible,  roofs  almost  invariably 
tiled  of  the  Italian  brownish-red,  with  sufficient  variation  of 
tint — very  good  colour.  Only  a  single  puff  of  smoke  from 
a  factory-chimney.  The  bells,  five  or  six  of  no  noticeable 
size,  began  playing  at  a  great  rate  from  noon.  About  three 
hours  here.  .  .  . 

Monday^  21. — Saw  nothing  of  Siena  beyond  a  look  into 
the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  with  the  fountain  and  the  Casino  de' 
Nobili,  having  to  leave  by  the  diligence  for  Rome  at  noon. 
Breakfast  at  the  best  cafe,  del  Greco ;  only  50  cents  the 
two,  the  cheapest  we  have  had.  Saw  over  shops  the  names 
Botticelli  and  F.  Lippi.  Left  Siena  by  diligence.  A  fellow- 
traveller,  wife  of  the  head  of  the  dogana  at  Radicofani  (last 
station  in  Kingdom  of  Italy),  herself  a  Pisan,  quoting  the 
line,  AM  Pisa  vitttperio  delle  gentz,  says  the  Pisans  turn  it 
into  Vita  e  iuiperio  delle  genti.*' 

Wednesday^  23. — Magnificent  masses  of  oleanders  topping 
the  garden-walls  in  the  streets  as  you  enter  Rome  by  the 
Piazza  del  Popolo.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  27. — Scott  reasonably  well  set  up  again.  We 
took  a  vettura  to  La  Riccia,  to  see  Stillman.  .  .  .  Our  driver 
said  that  at  about  the  age  of  fourteen  he  had  been  groom  to 
one  Masini  (?),  aide-de-camp  of  Garibaldi  at  the  siege  of 
Rome  in  1849;  and  at  his  death  had  been  turned  over  to 
Garibaldi,  who  would  often  take  him  by  the  head  and  give 
him  a  twirl  round.  Had  a  strong  feeling  for  him.  Said 
that  two  or  three  years  ago  Garibaldi  came  to  Rome  dressed 
like  a  sportsman,  and  took  refreshment  at  a  cafe  ;  when  the 
waiter  offered  him  his  change,  he  said  he  would  take  it  when 
he  next  came  to  Rome.  Papal  gendarmes,  being  on  the 
scent,  surrounded  the  cafe  next  morning,  and  found  Garibaldi 
had  gone,  leaving  a  note  to  say  that,  if  anybody  wanted  him, 
he  had  better  come  after  him.     Probably  a  fable ;  and  so 

The  Dantesque  reader  will  understand  what  is  here  referred  to. 
Dante,  in  connection  with  the  Ugolino  tragedy,  denounces  Pisa  as 
"  opprobrium  of  mankind."  The  Pisans  turn  this  into  "  life  and 
sovereignty  of  mankind." 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1862 


11 


thinks  Stillman,  who  is  of  opinion  that  the  papal  policy  has 
been  the  most  prudent  and  successful  possible  under  the 
circumstances  ;  the  Sardinian  dynasty  unloved  by  the  people 
throughout  Italy,  and  the  Republican  party  much  on  the 
increase,  and  likely  to  make  some  energetic  move.  The 
annexation  of  Rome  quite  uncertain,  unless  through  some 
such  move.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  August  2. — Took  donkeys  to  Nemi,  etc.  .  .  .  The 
donkey-man  says  that  the  ex-king  of  Naples,  now  making 
his  villeggiattira  at  La  Riccia,  is  charitable,  distributing  alms 
to  the  poor  every  Saturday  evening.  The  Pope  too  is  ready 
to  give,  throwing  money  out  of  his  carriage  when  he  goes 
to  Castel  Gandolfo.  Antonelli  gives  nothing,  and  is  un- 
popular. .  .  . 

Thursday^  y. —  .  .  .  Passed  through  Leghorn  and  Pisa. 
.  .  .  To  Campo  Santo,  where  I  do  not  find  my  impressions 
of  the  Gozzolis  enhanced.  The  Last  Judgment  of  Orcagna 
a  great  work  spite  of  its  salient  imperfections,  perhaps 
greater  than  the  Triumph  of  Death.  The  Giottos  and  so-called 
Buffalmaccos  very  fine  of  their  kind,  the  latter  noticeable 
for  natural  conception  and  treatment.  Orcagna's  Ascension 
very  powerful  in  unity  of  impulse.  The  sculpture  over  portal 
of  Baptistery  fine.  "  Roma  o  la  Morte  "  and  "  Abbasso  il  Papa 
Re *  are  the  chief  inscriptions  on  the  walls ;  in  one  place, 
"Viva  Iddio  e  Garibaldi."-!-  .  .  . 

Friday^  8. — Giottos  (?)  in  the  small  room  out  of  the  Campo 
Santo — Frescoes:  i.  Virgin  and  Child,  h^did  and  shoulders; 
a  majestic  and  beneficent  head  of  the  Virgin.  2.  Young 
male  saint,  head  and  shoulders,  with  head  bowed  as  in 
adoration  (same  character  of  work  as  the  fresco  in  the 
National  Gallery).  3.  Elderly  female  saint,  in  monastic 
drapery  (head),  very  earnest,  set  expression.  4.  Head  and 
shoulders  of  Baptist,  arm  (cut  off)  raised  in  preaching  or 
baptizing ;  left  held  a  rod  (probably  in  act  of  baptizing 
Christ).  5.  Two  heads  and  shoulders  of  angels  apparently 
holding  the  robe  of  Christ  during  baptism  ;  foremost  head 

*  Down  with  the  Pope  King, 
t  Long  Hve  God  and  Garibaldi. 


12 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


very  beautiful,  with  expression  of  rapt  satisfaction.  6.  Head 
and  shoulders  of  a  young  man  playing  a  harp,  no  sign  of 
saintship.  7.  Half-figure  of  an  aged  saint  writing,  the 
paper  laid  across  left  knee ;  very  serious,  absorbed  expres- 
sion— good  quality  of  drawing.  A  very  rude  fresco  in 
three  compartments,  of  the  story  of  some  episcopal  saint, 
and  a  tempera  Coronation  of  Virgin^  seemingly  dated  143 1 
(same  room),  cannot  be  Giotto's.  The  Annunciatio7i  over 
the  arch  of  this  door  is  on  the  whole  the  most  satisfactory 
of  Gozzoli's  pictures.  .  .  . 

Monday,  11. —  .  .  .  Between  Bourg  and  Macon.  .  .  .  My 
neighbour  in  the  carriage  came  out  against  Napoleon's 
government.  He  was  once  going  to  use  an  opposition- 
ticket  at  an  election,  and  was  walked  off  by  the  police  ;  and, 
if  he  had  not  kept  out  of  the  way,  would  have  been  locked 
up  for  a  day  until  the  election  was  over.  Mayors  and  other 
officials  are  compelled  to  take-in  the  government  papers, 
which  otherwise  would  have  very  little  circulation.  French- 
men learn  the  news  of  their  own  country  from  extracts,  in 
French  papers,  from  foreign  ones,  especially  the  Independance 
Beige,  and  even  these  expurgated.  The  French  army  has 
no  business  in  Rome.  Nobody  can  understand  Napoleon's 
Roman  policy.  His  son  not  likely  to  succeed ;  but  the 
Orleanists,  and  still  more  the  Legitimists,  are  small  parties. 
— Travelling  all  night. 

Tuesday,  12. —  .  .  .  London  by  8.30  P.M. 


II. — John  Ruskin  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Nothing  came  of  Mr  Ruskin's  suggestion  that  he 
might  possibly  like  to  become  an  inmate  of  the  house 
which  Rossetti  was  now  taking  but  had  not  yet  entered, 
in  Cheyne  Walk.  The  "  Banner  picture,"  cherished  by 
Professor  Eliot  Norton,  is  the  watercolour  Before  the  Battle, 
mentioned  in  my  volume  entitled  Ruskin,  Rossetti,  PrcB- 
raphaelitism.     By  "your  Sister,"  Ruskin,  I    think,  meant 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1862 


13 


Maria  rather  than  Christina,  He  knew  more  of  the 
former.] 

Milan. 
12  July  1862. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — So  often  I've  tried  to  write ;  and 
could  not,  having  had  to  fight  with  various  fears  and  sick- 
nesses such  as  I  never  knew  before,  and  not  thinking  it 
well  to  burden  you  with  them.  I  write  now  only  to 
thank  you  for  your  kind  words  in  your  letter  to  Jones. 
I  do  trust  that  henceforward  I  may  be  more  with  you — as 
I  am  able  now  better  to  feel  your  great  powers  of  mind, 
and  am  myself  more  in  need  of  the  kindness  with  which 
they  are  joined.  There  are  many  plans  in  my  thoughts : 
assuredly  I  can  no  more  go  on  living  as  I  have  done. 
Jones  will  tell  you  what  an  aspen-leaf  and  flying  speck 
of  dust  in  the  wind  my  purposelessness  makes  me.  They 
are  dear  creatures,  he  and  his  wife  both,  and  have  done 
much  to  help  me ;  and  I  believe  there  is  nothing  they  would 
not  do  if  they  could. 

I  am  vexed,  and  much  (perhaps  more  than  about  any 
other  of  the  inconveniences  caused  by  my  being  ill),  that 
I  have  missed  William,  who  must  be  by  this  time  at 
Venice,  as  far  as  I  can  hear.  A  letter  of  his,  received  just 
as  I  was  leaving  town,  got  thrown  into  a  drawer  by 
mistake  instead  of  my  desk,  and  I  could  not  answer  it. 

Among  the  shadowy  plans  above  spoken  of,  the  one 
that  looks  most  like  light  is  one  of  spending  large  part 
of  every  year  in  Italy,  measuring  and  copying  old 
frescoes.  Perhaps  some  time  we  might  have  happy  days 
together,  if  there  were  any  place  in  Italy  where  you  cared 
to  study — or  be  idle.  I've  been  thinking  of  asking  if  I 
could  rent  a  room  in  your  Chelsea  house;  but  I'm  so 
tottery  in  mind  that  I  have  no  business  to  teaze  any  one 
by  asking  questions. 

Jones  has  done  me  some  divine  sketches.  How  he 
does  love  you,  and  reverence  your  work !  Did  Norton — 
of  course  he  did — write  to  you  about  the  Banner  picture  ? 


14 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


I've  kept  his  letter  to  me  about  it.  How  he  appreciated 
it !    I  never  knew  a  picture  so  enjoyed. 

I  don't  deserve  a  letter,  but  I've  had  things  sometimes 
before  now  that  I  didn't.  I'm  here  at  all  events,  if  you 
have  word  to  say  to  me.  Remember  me  with  deep  and 
sincere  respect  to  your  Sister,  and  believe  me  ever  affec- 
tionately yours, 

J.  RUSKIN. 


12. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

["  The  Francesca  "  is  no  doubt  a  Paolo  and  Francesca — 
perhaps  the  one  which  went  into  the  collection  of  Mr 
James  Leathart,  a  watercolour  triptych.  The  Joan  of  Arc 
was  an  oil-picture  —  its  purchaser,  Mr  James  Anderson 
Rose,  a  solicitor.  "  Marshall "  I  understand  to  be  Mr 
Peter  Paul  Marshall,  a  member  of  the  Morris  firm.  Mr 
Whistler  first  became  known  to  my  brother  towards  this 
date :  he  lived  in  Chelsea,  not  far  from  the  Cheyne  Walk 
house.] 

59  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 
21  August  1862. 

My  dear  Brown, —  ...  I  have  the  Francesca  to  dispose 
of  as  yet,  since  Rose  has  settled  on  the  Joan  of  Arc ;  but 
the  former  would  not  be  less  than  100, — or  120  indeed, 
most  likely,  unless  found  impracticable.  ...  I  am  writing 
to  ask  Marshall,  who  wants  to  meet  Whistler. — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


13.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[This  extract  from  a  letter,  which  may  probably  belong 
to  August  or  September  1862,  shows  that  my  Brother  was 
about  to  enter  into  an  agreement  with  Mr  W.  J.  Knewstub, 


J.  A.  FROUDE,  1862 


15 


who  soon  afterwards  joined  him  at  Cheyne  Walk.  His 
position  might  be  regarded  as  something  between  that  of 
pupil  and  of  artistic  assistant :  as  quasi-pupil  he  paid  a  sum 
down,  and,  though  quasi-assistant,  he  did  not  receive  any 
salary.  "My  5  s.  table"  must  have  been  a  compact 
painting-table  which  had  been  made  to  Rossetti's  own 
design,  and  which,  proving  highly  convenient,  remained  in 
use  for  many  years — perhaps  up  to  his  final  illness.] 

59  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 
[1862 — ?  Autumn\ 

Dear  Brown, —  ...  I  want  to  speak  to  you  about 
making  an  agreement  with  Knewstub.  I  have  got  my  5s. 
table  in  use  :  it  is  sublime  ! — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


14. — J.  A.  Froude  to  William  Rossettl 

[Mr  Froude  was  at  this  time  Editor  of  Eraser's 
Magazine,  to  which  I  contributed  a  few  articles  on  subjects 
of  Fine  Art.  His  note  shows  that  I  had  offered  to  pro- 
duce a  paper  upon  Blake — forming  a  review  of  Gilchrist's 
book.  I  did  not  however  write  any  such  paper ;  coming 
to  the  conclusion,  as  I  proceeded  with  my  work  supple- 
mental to  the  volumes  in  question,  that  I  should  not  be  a 
wholly  appropriate  critic  for  that  with  which  I  had  so 
closely  connected  myself] 

6  Clifton  Place,  Hyde  Park. 
20  October  1862. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — It  will  be  a  real  pleasure  to  me 
if  you  will  write  on  Blake.  He  has  always  seemed  to  me 
to  be  an  instance  of  the  prodigal  carelessness  of  Nature, 
which  gives  a  man  so  often  half  the  qualities  which  make 
up  genius,  and,  by  leaving  out  the  others,  makes  them 
almost  useless.     Sound  understanding  is   too  usually  the 


16  ROSSETTI  PAPERS 

thing  that  is  with-held.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  so  in 
Blake's  case. — Ever  faithfully  yours, 

J.  A.  Froude. 


15— Frederick  Tatham  to  William  Rossettl 

[Mr  Tatham  had,  in  early  youth,  been  one  of  the  latest 
band  of  Blake's  admirers  and  personal  acquaintances.  I 
was  put  into  communication  with  him  by  Mrs  Gilchrist, 
with  a  view  to  clearing  up  some  disputable  points  in  the 
Life  by  Gilchrist,  and  more  especially  to  further  the 
compilation,  which  I  had  undertaken,  of  a  Catalogue 
Raisonne  of  Blake's  paintings  and  designs,  to  form  a 
portion  of  the  Gilchrist  volumes — as  in  fact  it  now  does. 
Mr  Tatham  was,  when  I  knew  him,  a  man  well  advanced 
in  middle  age,  of  rather  bulky  but  far  from  tall  figure,  with 
an  expressive  face  and  tone  of  conversation.  He  was  by 
profession  a  sculptor,  but  I  think  with  little  incoming 
practice.  Afterwards  he  became  a  Minister  in  the  Irvingite 
Church — perhaps  an  "Angel."  His  MS.,  The  Epic  Theory  in 
Art^  was  well  worth  reading — the  work  of  a  vigorous  and 
independent,  though  not  very  nicely  balanced,  mind  and 
pen.    He  did  not,  I  believe,  succeed  in  publishing  it.] 

Forest  Gate,  Essex. 
6  November  1862. 

Dear  Sir, — I  shall  have  much  pleasure  in  replying ;  but 
it  will  not  always  be  possible  for  me  to  remember,  as  I 
have  sold  Mr  Blake's  works  for  thirty  years.  I  will  take 
them  in  your  order.  Mr  Evans  bought  nearly  all  I  had 
latterly.  .  .  .  The  List  directed  to  Mr  Ferguson  of  Tyne- 
mouth :  This  I  forget,  but  I  have  no  doubt  they  alluded  to 
a  batch  of  very  fine  ones  printed  in  oil  and  painted  on  in 
water  afterwards  by  Blake  himself  They  were  printed  in 
a  loose  press  from  an  outline  sketched  on  paste-board ;  the 
oil  colour  was  blotted  on,  which  gave  the  sort  of  impression 
you  will  get  by  taking  the  impression  of  anything  ivet. 


JOHN  LINNELL,  JUN.,  1862 


17 


There  was  a  look  of  accident  about  this  mode  which  he 
afterwards  availed  of,  and  tinted  so  as  to  bring  out  and 
favour  what  was  there  rather  blurred.  I  do  not  know  that 
I  can  tell  you  these  seven  :  but  NebucJiadnezzar  was  one ; 
Pity  like  a  New-bor7t  Babe,  Newton;  The  Saviour  another, 
Eve  with  the  Serpent  another,  Elijah  in  the  Chariot  another  ; 
and  the  seventh  I  do  not  remember.  .  .  . 

The  finished  plates  have  not  been  in  my  possession  for 
many  years.  .  .  .  The  printing  in  oil  was  a  favourite 
system,  as  he  coloured  them  up  :  he  did  a  good  many,  of 
other  subjects,  in  this  way.  .  .  . 

I  am,  dear  Sir,  now  going  to  ask  you  a  favour.  Some 
three  years  ago  I  sat  down  and  wrote  a  very  elaborate 
brochure  which  is  not  yet  printed — it  is  in  legible  MS. 
entitled.  The  Epic  Theory  in  Art:  an  Enquiry  into  the 
present  depressed  State  of  the  Art  of  Scidptiire,  with  Reasons 
and  a  Remedy.  This  is  a  most  earnest  and  very  concise 
and  (I  think)  vigorous  production,  proposing  a  school  for 
Sculptors,  and  going  into  the  subject  in  a  critical  manner 
so  as  to  leave  nothing  to  be  desired  according  to  its 
object.  Now  I  find  it  difficult  to  get  an  ear ;  but  I  have 
got  a  few  people  to  attempt  it,  and  they  have  been  much 
interested.  Mr  Gladstone  spoke  most  highly,  also  the 
Reader  at  Smith  &  Elder's,  Cornhill,  Mr  Williams.  .  .  .  Shall 
I  forward  it?  I  know  you  will  dip  into  if  you  get  it — at 
least  all  have  who  have  had  it. — In  haste,  very  faithfully 
yours, 

Frederick  Tatham. 


i6. — John  Linnell,  Jun.,  to  William  Rossettl 

[In  the  course  of  my  Blake  researches  I  was  privileged 
to  call  at  the  house  (Red  Hill)  of  the  admirable  painter 
John  Linnell,  then  aged  but  still  vigorous,  and  to  inspect 
all  his  Blake  treasures,  including  the  water-colour  series 
from  Dante.    Immediately  afterwards  his  Son  the  engraver 

B 


18 


ROSSETTl  PAPERS 


was  so  good  as  to  send  me  an  explanatory  letter,  from 
which  I  present  an  extract.] 

Redstone  Wood,  Red  Hill,  Surrey. 
2  December  1862. 

My  dear  Sir, —  ...  As  to  the  numbers  of  the  drawings, 
I  have  just  counted  them  through  carefully.  There  are, 
as  you  state,  sixty-eight  drawings,  and  undoubtedly  belong- 
ing to  the  Hell^  and  mostly  marked  with  the  numbers  of 
the  cantos.  ...  In  the  other  folio  there  was  a  drawing 
which  belonged  to  the  Dante  designs,  and  which  might 
perhaps  be  placed  between  the  Hell  and  Purgatory.  It 
was  scarcely  more  than  a  pencil-sketch — and  gave  the 
nine  circles  (Limbo  i  —  Minos  2  —  Cerberus  3  —  etc.), 
beginning  at  the  bottom :  and  in  the  margin  is  written : 
"  This  is  upside  down  when  viewed  from  hell's  hole,  which 
ought  to  be  at  the  top.  But  right  when  viewed  from 
Purgatory  after  they  have  passed  the  centre,"  etc.  In 
margin  is  also  written :  "  It  seems  as  if  Dante's  Supreme 
Good  was  something  superior  to  the  Father  of  Jesus.  For, 
if  he  gives  his  rain  to  the  evil  and  good,  and  his  sun  to 
the  just  and  unjust,  he  could  never  have  builded  (?) 
Dante's  Hell ;  nor  the  Hell  of  the  Bible  neither,  in  the  way 
our  parsons  explain  it.  It  must  have  been  originally 
formed  by  the  Devil  himself;  and  so  I  understand  it  to 
have  been.  Whatever  book  is  for  vengeance  for  sin,  and 
whatever  book  is  against  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  is  not  of 
the  Father,  but  of  Satan  the  accuser  and  Father  of  Hell." 

It  is  rather  difficult  to  read,  but  I  think  the  above  is 
rightly  copied.  .  .  .  Faithfully  yours, 

John  Linnell,  Jun. 


17.— Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

["The  poetical  portion  of  Vol.  II."  is  the  editing  and 
elucidation,  done  by  my  Brother,  of  Blake's  poems.] 


FREDERICK  TATHAM,  1862 


19 


Brookbank. 
II  December  1862, 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  ...  I  have  not  (that  I  can 
find)  a  copy  of  the  two  recipes  you  speak  of  for  wood- 
cutting on  copper  and  on  pewter ;  would  feel  greatly 
obliged  by  a  copy  of  them.  It  is  quite  true  that  Blake 
had  no  process  by  which  he  could  print  in  more  than  one 
colour.  If  you  look  closely  at  any  of  his  engraved  books, 
you  will  see  the  entire  design  outlined  with  whatever  may 
happen  to  be  the  colour  of  the  writing.  Thus,  in  the 
Daughters  of  Albion^  all  the  people  have  green  noses,  a 
phenomenon  rather  startling  to  my  unartistic  eyes.  .  .  . 

I  have  received  since  I  last  wrote  to  you  proofs  of  the 
whole  of  the  poetical  portion  of  Vol.  II.;  and,  indeed,  I 
hardly  know  how  to  speak  adequately  of  the  satisfaction 
and  delight  with  which  I  read  them.  Never,  I  think,  was 
the  task  of  editorship  so  admirably  performed,  if  the  aim 
of  editorship  be  to  quicken  the  reader's  insight  and  enjoy- 
ment. I  need  not  tell  you  I  read  your  explanation  of  The 
Mental  Traveller  with  wide-open  eyes.  Certainly  that 
"Idea"  binds  the  most  chaotic,  disjointed,  obscure-looking 
poem  that  ever  was  written,  into  a  harmonious,  connected, 
nobly  pregnant  whole.  My  dear  Husband  would  have  been 
beyond  measure  pleased  with  it. — Yours  very  truly, 

Anne  Gilchrist. 


18. — Frederick  Tatham  to  William  Rossettl 

Forest  Gate,  Essex. 
16  December  1862. 

My  dear  Sir, —  TJie  Ancient  of  Days ^  with  the  compasses, 
was  the  subject  that  Blake  finished  for  me  on  his  death- 
bed. He  threw  it  down,  and  said,  "There,  I  hope  Mr 
Tatham  will  like  it ; "  and  then  said,  "  Kate,  I  will  draw 
your  portrait ;  you  have  been  a  good  wife  to  me."  And  he 
made  a  frenzied  sketch  of  her ;  which  when  done,  he  sang 


20 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


himself  joyously  and  most  happily — literally  with  songs — 
into  the  arms  of  the  grim  enemy,  and  yielded  up  his  sweet 
spirit.    This  is  related  by  Mr  Smith  in  the  book  alluded  to. 

Mr  Gilchrist's  study  was  full  of  pigeon-holes  and  papers 
without  end,  and  gave  one  an  idea  of  what  authorship  was. 
.  .  .  — Very  faithfully  yours, 

Frederick  Tatiiam. 


19.— John  Linnell,  Jun.,  to  William  Rossettl 

Redstone  Wood,  Red  Hill,  Surrey. 
21  December  1862. 

My  dear  Sir, — There  are  twenty  original  drawings  by 
Blake  illustrating  the  poem  by  Philips  in  Thornton's  Virgil 
(I  forgot  to  show  you  these  drawings).  They  are  delicately 
executed  in  Indian  ink,  more  or  less  finished ;  a  trifle 
larger  than  the  wood-engravings,  and  occasionally  slightly 
varying  from  them.  Sixteen  of  these  subjects,  cut  by  Blake 
himself,  appear  in  Thornton's  work — also  three  of  them  cut 
by  another.  One  of  these  drawings  (subject,  the  two  shep- 
herds standing  together,  and  sheep  etc.  behind,  same  size  as 
others)  is  not  engraved.  We  have  no  drawing  of  the  larger 
block  engraved  by  Blake,  given  in  Thornton  as  frontispiece. 

The  above-referred-to  seventeen  wood-blocks  were  the 
only  ones  Blake  ever  cut.  The  drawings  were  executed  a 
little  before  the  book  was  published. 

The  dates  of  the  Visionary  Heads  would  be  either  1819 
or  1820:  the  three  which  have  dates  written  on  them  are 
all  October  18 19.  .  .  .  — Faithfully  yours, 

John  Linnell,  Jun. 


20.— Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

[Mr  Linnell  (Sen.)  regarded  Mr  Tatham  with  antipathy. 
Mr  William  Haines,  who  had  been  intimate  with  Alex- 


JOHN  LINNELL,  SEN.,  1862 


21 


ander  Gilchrist,  took  a  friendly  interest  in  the  Life  of  Blake, 
compiling  the  list  of  Blake's  engravings,  and  rendering 
other  services.] 

Brookeank. 
21  December  1862. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  Tatham  always  uses  the 
word  "millboard,"  and  says  he  has  some  of  them,  or 
had,  still  by  him.  I  am  afraid  we  must  give  up  all  hope 
of  getting  at  the  rights  of  the  oil-printing  process.  Linnell 
would  hardly  speak  so  positively  of  the  inaccuracy  of 
Tatham's  account  (as  he  does  not  know  zvho  wrote  it) 
unless  he  had  good  grounds  for  doing  so ;  but  he  says  it 
would  "take  too  much  time  to  set  it  right."  I  believe  the 
honest  truth  to  be  he  does  not  himself  thoroughly  under- 
stand it,  but  knows,  as  an  artist,  Tatham's  process  to  be 
an  impossible  one.  Mr  Haines,  who  has  some  practical 
acquaintance  with  painting,  thinks  that  to  paint  in  water- 
colours  on  the  top  of  oils  in  that  way  is  quite  impracticable. 
So  perhaps  it  will  be  on  the  safe  side  not  to  attempt  any 
explanation.  .  .  .  — Yours  very  truly, 

A.  Gilchrist. 


21. — John  Linnell,  Sen.,  to  William  Rossetti. 

[The  starting  -  point  of  this  extract  is  a  report  that 
Blake  had  done  some  heraldic  drawing  in  his  youth.] 

Redstone  Wood. 

24  December  1862. 

Dear  Sir, —  .  .  .  The  criticism  upon  Blake's  Dragons 
would  apply  just  as  well  to  Turner  for  his  picture  of 
fason  in  the  National  Gallery,  where  the  Dragon  is  quite 
as  heraldic  in  its  character  as  any  of  Blake's,  and  even 
more  so.  I  remember  another  picture  in  the  National 
Gallery,  by  Turner,  which  has  a  terrific  dragon  in  it,  high 
up  on  a  rock.  But  the  fact  is,  dragons  are  rather  un- 
common.    There   are   none   in   the   Zoological  Gardens. 


22 


ROSSETTl  PAPERS 


They  are  traditional,  and  all  have  been  drawn  from  one 
type,  or  nearly  so,  and  hence  unavoidable  similarity. 
Blake  however  has  given  a  sublimity  of  character  to  his 
dragons  and  serpents  which  we  look  in  vain  for  elsewhere ; 
and  those  who  could  not  see  the  grandeur  of  Blake's  con- 
ceptions were  always  spiteful  in  their  criticisms,  from  a 
desire  to  bring  that  down  to  their  low  level  which  they 
could  not  reach.  I  believe  it  is  in  art  as  in  the  highest 
knowledge  —  the  ^vxiko9  or  sensuous  man  receiveth  not 
the  things  of  the  Spirit :  they  are  foolishness  to  him,  and 
he  is  unable  to  know  them  because  they  are  spiritually 
discerned. — Yours, 

J.  L.,  Sen. 


22. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  suggestion  that  "  dirt "  might  be  "  quite  essential " 
for  a  dinner  of  which  Brown  was  to  partake  is  one  of 
those  jocularities  to  which  one  loses  the  clue  with  lapse 
of  years.  It  would  rather  seem  that  Brown  had  been 
proposing  to  dine  cheap  at  some  eating-house  not  noted 
for  nicety.  Marshall  and  Goss  are  Peter  Paul  Marshall, 
and  a  picture  buyer  of  those  days,  Captain  Goss.] 

i6  Cheyne  Walk. 
7  Ja?iuary  1863. 

My  dear  Brown, — Do  come  and  dine  with  vie  here  at 
six  to  -  morrow.  The  dinner  will  at  any  rate  thus  be  the 
cheapest  possible  ;  and,  if  dirt  is  quite  essential,  I  will  even 
turn  a  few  dogs  into  the  room  for  a  day  and  a  night, 
being  the  dirtiest  animals  I  can  well  get  at.  ...  I  write 
the  same  request  to  Marshall  with  this. — Your  affectionate 

Gabriel. 

If  you  can  come  by  daylight,  so  much  the  better ;  as 
I  have  two  pictures  by  Scott  which  I  want  to  show  Marshall 
with  an  eye  to  Goss. 


WILLIAM  HAINES,  1863 


23 


23. — William  Haines  to  William  Rossettl 

Walberton,  Arundel. 
5  February  1863. 

Dear  Sir, — Having  seen  at  last  the  Petworth  Blakes, 
you  may  (if  it  is  not  too  late)  add  something  to  the 
mere  titles  of  them  in  your  Catalogue,  suggested  by  what- 
ever I  am  going  to  say.  In  the  Procession  of  Spenser's 
Characters  I  found  a  picture  between  4  and  5  feet  long 
by  a  foot  and  a  few  inches  high — same  dimensions  probably 
as  the  Pilgrimage — painted  on  paper  laid  on  canvas  ;  colours 
much  faded,  or  rather  clouded  over  by  an  uniform  tone 
of  brown  yellow  —  effect  of  varnish.  Am  not  quite 
certain  I  should  have  discovered  the  subject  at  once,  had 
I  not  known  it  beforehand.  There  are  puzzling  figures 
of  an  allegoric  sort  above  (in  the  sky),  one  like  the 
Almighty.  In  the  background,  Gothic  buildings,  cathedral 
etc.  The  Procession  itself  presents  a  rather  meagre  epitome 
of  so  rich  a  theme ;  the  figures,  and  especially  the  horses, 
very  archaic  and  singular.  I  could  not  identify  many  of 
the  personages,  nor  did  there  seem  many.  A  grand  mediaeval 
drama  performed  by  a  limited  company  with  old  costumes 
and  properties  of  the  siege  of  Troy  (there  is  more  than 
one  wooden  horse  by  the  way)  it  might  be  compared  to, 
though  not  justly  or  accurately.  To  be  more  serious — the 
Red-Cross  Knight  and  Una  go  first ;  beside  them  the 
Lion  and  a  wretched  crippled  little  dragon.  Then  comes, 
on  foot,  a  hermit  with  a  baby  in  his  arms.  Next,  a  female 
on  horseback — a  figure  something  between  Florimel  and 
the  Wife  of  Bath,  but  grand — with  a  free  and  glorious  air. 
Who  this  was,  or  who  the  rest  were,  I  could  not  read ; 
though  in  a  nude  Hercules  -  like  figure  I  recognized  our 
old  friend  Talus  because  he  carried  a  flail,  and  I  suspect 
Sir  Artegall  himself  was  not  far  off.  You  may  safely  say 
the  picture  is  not  equal  to  the  Pilgrimage ;  is  neither  so 
elaborate,  correct,  or  exhaustive. 

The  Satan  in  the  Infernal  Regions ^  when  the  butler 


24: 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


handed  it  to  me,  was  simply  a  black  blister,  till  I  took  it 
to  the  light.  It  is  a  "fresco,"  I  presume  (the  Procession  is 
merely  a  water-colour  drawing) ;  highly  finished  and  rich  in 
colour,  or  was  so  once  before  it  turned  so  dark,  ruined  by 
time  and  varnish.  Satan  stands  on  a  rock — a  nude  figure 
unlike  Fuseli ;  no  spear  and  shield,  or  armour  with  navel 
showing  through  it,  etc.  Flames  and  rocks,  and  a  multi- 
tude of  figures — one  on  his  knees  hugging  himself  and 
howling,  identical  with  a  figure  in  Urizen.  I  noticed  a 
curious  appearance  or  texture  about  the  flesh,  like  colour- 
ing over  a  chalk-engraving  ?  There  is  one  figure,  a  woman 
with  manacles  on  her  wrists.  Couldn't  make  out  the  sub- 
ject— that  is,  it  may  7iot  be  "  Satan  calling  up  his  Legions." 
An  elaborate  and  fine  example,  but  obscured  and  spoiled 
by  time  and  varnish.  Is  this  picture  in  the  Descriptive 
Catalogue  ? 

The  Last  Judgment  is  small  (14  inches  by  12  at  a  guess) ; 
so  the  figures  (there  being  such  a  multitude  of  them)  are 
rather  minute,  scarcely  over  two  inches  the  biggest.  It  is 
highly  finished  as  to  drawing,  but  slight  in  colour,  the  white 
paper  predominating  everywhere  save  on  the  side  of  the 
unlucky,  where  there  is  most  colour,  the  greater  warmth. 
Some  of  the  figures  among  the  blessed  are  of  extreme 
loveliness.  After  reading  the  description  in  the  Letter  to 
Ozias  Humphrey  (not  to  mention  the  Vision  in  your  book), 
the  picture  itself  is  likely  to  disappoint  on  the  score  of 
grandeur  and  impressiveness.  In  those  respects  it  is  not 
equal  to  the  engraving  in  Blair.  It  is  (after  the  descrip- 
tion aforesaid)  like  the  same  matter  expressed  in  delicate 
and  beautiful  hieroglyphic.  Under  glass,  and  in  good 
preservation.  Signed  "  W.  Blake  inv.  &  del.  1808."  .  .  . 
— Yours  very  sincerely, 

Wm.  Haines. 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1863 


25 


24. — x^NNE  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

Brookbank. 

2  May  1863. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  There  is  one  point  on 
which  I  do  feel  sorry  and  tenacious  —  that  the  notion 
should  get  abroad,  as  I  believe  it  has  done,  that  my  dear 
Husband  left  the  work  very  incomplete,  and  that  a  great 
deal  (instead  of  a  very  little  save  and  except  this  Catalogue) 
has  been  done  to  it.  Whenever  you  have  the  opportunity 
to  contradict  this,  I  should  be  very  grateful  to  you  for 
doing  so.  He  left  it  completed — and  all  the  insertions  put 
together  would  not  (apart  from  quotations)  occupy  half-a- 
dozen  pages.  Perhaps  the  best  plan  would  be  to  speak 
emphatically  on  this  point  in  a  preface  ?  .  .  .  — Yours  very 
truly, 

Anne  Gilchrist. 

Mr  Riviere  of  Oxford  is  the  gentleman  who  v/rites  that 
Blake  had  worked  as  a  Herald-painter  in  his  youth. 


25. — John  Ruskin  to  William  Rossettl 

[This  note  refers  to  a  book  of  uncoloured  Japanese 
landscapes,  of  a  direct  naturalistic  treatment,  which  I  had 
recently  bought,  and  had  produced  for  Ruskin's  inspection. 
He  is  more  complimentary  here  to  Japanese  art  than  he 
has  been  in  some  other  utterances.] 

[Denmark  Hill.] 
IS  June  1863. 

Dear  Rossetti, — The  book  is  delightful,  and  thank  you 
much  for  sending  it  I  should  like  to  go  and  live  in 
Japan. 

I'm  going  to  hunt  up  Gabriel — but  am  so  good-for- 


26 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


nothing  and  full  of  disgusts  that  I'm  better  out  of  his  way  : 
still,  I'm  going  to  get  into  it. — Always  yours  truly, 

J.  RUSKIN. 

I  return  Japan  by  book-post.  The  seas  and  clouds  are 
delicious,  the  mountains  very  good. 


26.— W.  J.  Stillman  to  William  Rossettl 

Olevano,  nr.  Rome. 
16  June  1863. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  The  immediate  need  of  my 
writing  is  to  have  you  send  me  a  copy  of  Fraser  with 
that  absurd  (they  say)  defence  of  slavery,  in  which  Ruskin 
has  been  committing  a  felo  de  se,  I  think  they  call  it. 
What  in  the  world  could  have  possessed  him  to  do  such 
a  thing?  Does  he  know  anything  about  slavery,  having 
never  seen  a  slave?  or  does  he  by  abstract  reasoning  prove 
a  falsehood  ?  or  that  he  believes  it  ?  which  is  the  same 
thing  with  him.  I'd  like  to  put  the  argumentum  ad  horninem 
to  him,  make  him  my  nigger  three  months,  to  show  him 
what  an  abstraction  may  be  worth.  But  do  send  up  the 
article,  that  I  may  measure  for  myself  the  present  devi- 
ation of  the  compass,  and  find  where  our  friend's  north 
pole  has  got  to.  What  a  pity  it  is  that  Ruskin  did  not 
see  years  ago  that  nobody  was  affected  by  his  speculations, 
and  that,  in  general,  opinions  and  theories  go  for  breath, 
and  that  substantial  positive  facts  are  the  only  Archimedes' 
fulcrum !  All  the  influence  he  ever  gained  was  based  on 
his  having  observed  certain  facts,  and  he  is  now  destroying 
it  by  the  most  fantastical  and  baseless  vagaries.  ...  It 
grieves  me  much  that  he  will  destroy  the  influence  he  might 
have  in  spheres  where  he  has  knowledge,  by  dabbling  with 
things  of  which  he  can  know  nothing.  .  .  . 

The  copy  of  your  Sister's  poems  you  sent  me  by  post 
after  your  return  to  London  was  confiscated  in  the  Post 
Office,  I  presume  as  heretical  or  revolutionary. 


ANNE  GILCHRIST,  1863 


27 


What  is  your  England  doing  to  so  utterly  alienate  the 
only  nation  in  the  world  which  has  either  kinship  or  organic 
sympathy  with  her?  It  is  a  difficult  game  she  is  playing 
in  the  world,  and  one  that  makes  her  few  friends.  I  happened 
to  be  dining  the  other  day  with  a  Spaniard,  a  Frenchman, 
a  Belgian,  a  German,  and  an  American ;  and  they  all  agreed 
in  cordial  detestation  of  England,  and  in  a  willingness  to 
join  in  a  war  for  her  destruction.  The  Spaniard  and 
German  were  very  intelligent  men,  quite  capable  of  esti- 
mating the  spirit  of  their  countrymen  ;  and  both  declared 
that  they  only  expressed  the  prevalent  sentiment  among 
the  people  of  their  countries.  .  .  .  — Believe  me  (war  or 
no  war)  ever  your  sincere  friend, 

W.  J.  Stillman. 


27.— Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossetti. 

Earl's  Colne. 

\c)Jidy  1863. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  Tiriel  and  my  MS.  copy  of  the 
French  Revolution  are,  I  regret  to  say,  at  Brookbank.  .  .  . 
The  moment  I  return  home,  which  will  not  however  be  till 
Michaelmas,  I  will  look  them  out  for  Mr  Swinburne.  .  .  . 
Doubtless,  Mr  Swinburne  being  now  in  the  full  tide  of 
writing  and  thinking  on  the  subject,  the  delay  will  be  a  very 
vexatious  one  to  him — most  sincerely  therefore  do  I  regret 
it.  .  .  .  Mr  Linnell  is  the  only  possessor  I  know  of  an  original 
French  Revolution.  But  he,  I  fear,  is  by  no  means  a  lending 
man.  I  look  forward  with  immense  interest  and  curiosity 
to  reading  Mr  Swinburne's  interpretation  of  the  Prophetic 
Books ;  not  without  a  lurking  suspicion,  though,  he  may 
have  been  insensibly  led  here  and  there  to  create  a  meaning 
out  of  his  own  great  abundance.  I  don't  see  however  that 
the  reader  has  any  right  to  quarrel  with  this,  since  he  is 
a  clear  gainer  by  it.  .  .  .  — Yours  very  truly, 

Anne  Gilchrist. 


28 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


By  the  by,  I  saw  my  cousin  Major  Carwarcline  a  few  days 
ago,  about  whom  you  expressed  some  curiosity  on  account  of 
his  American  adventures.  He  has  been,  I  find,  two  years 
in  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  under  Generals  Maclellan, 
Burnside,  etc.  ;  has  fought  in  ten  battles,  one  of  which  lasted 
seven  days ;  and  was  never  wounded  but  once,  and  that 
only  with  a  sword-cut  in  the  leg.  .  .  .  The  pay  is  capital,  his 
as  a  major  being  the  same  as  that  of  a  major-general  in  the 
English  army.  He  tells  me  the  accounts  of  the  miseries  and 
hardships  endured  by  the  army  of  the  Potomac  are  much 
exaggerated  ;  and  that,  in  fact,  they  have  not  at  all  exceeded 
what  are  inevitable  in  a  military  campaign  ;  that  the  com- 
missariat is  well  managed,  and  they  never  suffered  from 
want  of  provisions  except  occasionally  during  forced  marches. 
He  also  speaks  very  favourably  of  his  comrades  in  arms, 
though  it  took  him  some  time  to  get  to  like  them.  .  .  .  To 
give  you  a  notion  of  his  nerve  and  strength — he  stopped  a 
runaway  horse  the  other  day,  stepping  into  its  path,  and 
throwing  his  arms  round  its  neck. 


28. — Madox  Brown  to  Lucy  Brown  (Rossetti). 

[I  understand  the  date  of  this  letter  to  be  1863,  when 
Oliver  M.  Brown,  born  in  January  1855,  was  eight  years 
of  age.] 

4  Bath  Terrace,  Tynemouth,  Northumberland. 
[1863]. 

Dearest  Lucy, — Here  we  are,  safe  and  comfortable,  after 
a  very  delightful  and  smooth  passage  in  the  Wansbeck, 
London  and  Newcastle  steamer.  .  .  .  Tynemouth  is  full  of 
character  and  local  colour,  if  not  beauty,  and  there  are 
fair  sands.  But  North  and  South  Shields  are  the  wonderful 
places — at  least  to  look  at,  for  we  have  not  been  in  them  ; 
and  the  Tyne  all  the  way  up  to  Newcastle  is  one  of  the 
wonderful  sights  in  Europe,  though  people  don't  seem  to 


PROFESSOR  NORTON,  1863 


29 


know  it.  The  most  wonderful  pictures  might  be  made  of 
it ;  only  it  would  be  more  for  such  men  as  Turner  or 
Anthony  than  myself  For  want  of  habit  in  painting 
shipping  and  suchlike,  it  would  take  me  longer  than 
would  pay.  Nolly  has  been  quite  humpbacked  since  we 
left,  with  stiff  neck  and  a  boil  on  his  back,  and  does  not 
seem  well ;  otherwise  he  enjoyed  himself,  and  behaved 
very  well,  and  became  wonderfully  intimate  with  the 
sailors  and  passengers,  whom  he  astonished  not  a  little 
by  talking  scientifically  about  Yarmouth  Roads  and  other 
prominent  parts  of  our  route.  .  .  . — Your  affectionate  Papa, 

Ford  Madox  B. 

29. — Professor  Norton  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

Shady  Hill,  Cambridgi:,  Mass. 
24  August  1863. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  I  want  to  hear  of  you,  and  to  know 
of  your  life  and  work.  Your  pictures  bring  you  to  my 
thoughts  so  often  and  so  delightfully  that  it  seems  as  if 
we  held  frequent  communication — but  I  want  now  some- 
thing more  direct  and  personal.  In  the  midst  of  our  great 
war  it  is  pleasant  to  turn  to  your  peaceful  occupations.  I 
give  my  time  and  my  work  to  the  cause  for  which  we 
are  contending — the  good  old  cause,  the  cause  of  justice 
and  liberty ;  and  I  am  happy  in  being  able  to  bear  my 
part  (though  not  in  the  field)  in  this  contest.  But  the  in- 
tense interests  of  the  times  are  wearing  on  one's  heart.  .  .  . 

You  wrote  to  me  in  one  of  your  letters  of  your  great 
delight  in  the  work  of  your  friend  Jones.  I  remember 
well  meeting  him  one  evening  at  the  Brownings',  where  he 
had  brought  one  of  his  wonderful  drawings,  in  which  I 
was  deeply  interested.  I  wish  I  could  see  other  drawings 
of  his.  I  have  no  money  during  the  war  to  spend  for 
works  of  art — but  I  want  to  give  my  wife  a  Christmas 
present,  and  I  know  that  I  could  give  her  nothing  that 
would  please  her  more  than  a  drawing  by  Jones.  Will 

i 


30 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


you  please  send  me  word  as  to  his  prices.  .  .  .  And  this 
reminds  me  to  ask  you  whether  I  can  obtain  one  of  the 
drawings  that  you  or  Holman-Hunt  made  years  ago  for 
the  Tennyson.  I  remember  seeing  them  at  that  Httle 
private  exhibition  in  1857  where  were  so  many  of  the 
best  things  ever  done  in  England,  Now  I  in  vain  tell 
admirers  and  non-admirers  of  your  work  that  it  is  not  to 
be  judged  by  the  engravings ;  that  they  represent  very 
partially  and  very  imperfectly,  sometimes  even  falsely,  the 
character  of  it ;  and  that  no  one  can  fully  appreciate  the 
real  feeling  in  those  designs  unless  they  have  seen  the 
original.  .  .  . 

There  is  hope  for  Art  in  this  country.  The  true  ideas 
— the  ideas  the  P.  R.  B.  have  done  so  much  to  make  clear 
— are  extending  among  our  younger  men,  both  painters 
and  architects,  and  we  shall  before  long  have  some  good 
work  to  show.  But  there  is  as  usual  danger  of  extrava- 
gance, and  of  admiration  of  the  weaknesses  as  well  as 
the  excellencies  of  those  masters  whose  work  has  impressed 
the  imagination  of  our  younger  men.  .  .  . 

I  have  had  one  or  two  very  sad  letters  from  Ruskin 
of  late — so  sad  as  to  make  me  very  anxious  about  him. 
If  you  have  seen  him  lately,  I  wish  you  would  tell  me 
how  he  seemed  to  you,  and  what  prospect  there  is  of  his 
regaining  health.  He  is  almost  as  wrong  about  our  war 
as  poor  Carlyle ;  but  it  is  not  this  that  troubles  me  about 
him,  but  his  general  condition  of  despondency  and  gloom. 

May  I  remind  you  that  you  once  offered  to  get  for  me 
a  cast  from  Keats'  face?  If  it  may  still  be  had,  will  you 
get  it  for  me?  ...  I  am  always  faithfully  your  friend, 

Charles  Eliot  Norton. 


30.— William  Rossetti— Diary. 

[This  Diary  gives  a  slight  account  of  the  only  conti- 
nental trip  in  which  I  ever  accompanied  my  Brother.  As 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1863 


31 


that  circumstance  lends  a  sort  of  joint  personality  to  the 
Diary,  I  extract  its  jottings  relative  to  buildings,  pictures, 
etc.,  more  freely  than  I  do  in  most  other  cases.  Both  he 
and  I  had  been  in  Belgium  in  earlier  years,  but  separately.] 

Thursday,  3  September  1863.  —  Left  London  with 
Gabriel — Dover.  Fine  passage  to  Calais — bright  day  with 
strong  diffused  white  clouds.  .  .  .  Walk  on  the  ramparts 
laid  out  in  tiers  of  tree-bordered  walks,  with  flower-pots 
here  and  there,  remarkably  pretty.  .  .  .  Walk  on  the  pier 
at  dusk.  Dessin's  Hotel  now  in  the  building  of  Quillac's 
Hotel,  the  old  site  being  abandoned,  and  forming  (as  I 
understand)  the  Musee.  Very  empty,  only  four  at  table 
d'hote,  ourselves  included.  No  ices  procurable  in  all  Calais. 
Hogarth's  Gate  a  characteristic-enough  piece  of  rococo 
work  on  a  smallish  scale. 

Friday,  4. — Visited  the  Musee,  held  in  the  old  Hotel  Dessin 
—  a  spacious  building  with  a  white  courtyard  bordered 
with  pollard  limes.  A  moderate  number  of  pictures,  with  a 
reasonably  good  average  for  such  a  collection :  one  Madonna 
and  Child  is  called  a  duplicate  Correggio,  and  might  be  so. 
Two  or  three  old  Flemish  pictures :  one  of  them,  a  church- 
mass  picture,  has  merit  of  a  superior  kind.  A  fine  Poussin 
(Nicholas)  of  the  exposure  of  Moses,  in  the  classic  style 
with  the  Nile  God — fine  in  composition,  handling  somewhat 
coarse,  though  I  could  not  say  it  is  not  original.  Here 
they  have  the  inscription  taken  off  the  column  com- 
memorative of  the  landing  of  Louis  XVIII.  Curiosities, 
Chinese,  Indian,  etc.,  very  fair ;  zoological  collection  ditto, 
including  a  set  of  the  insects  of  France. — Left  Calais  at 
noon  ;  a  grey  dull  day,  but  just  before  sunset  a  beautiful 
rose  -  flame  -  suffused  sky,  with  a  rainbow  dimly  double. 
Several  goats,  one  by  one,  tethered — some  windmills  con- 
structed of  thatch,  cottage  -  roofs  thatched  over  tiles. 
Several  cottages  painted  a  bright  light  azure,  both  on 
French  and  Belgian  sides  of  the  frontier.  Many  tall  vines 
also,  especially  soon  before  reaching  Brussels,  between  that 
and  Ghent.    Arrived  towards  7 — Hotel  de  Flandre. 


32 


ROSSETTl  PAPERS 


Saturday,  5. — Visited  the  Exhibition  of  Paintings ;  which 
seems  to  be  not  so  much  (as  I  had  understood)  an  Interna- 
tional Exhibition  as  the  triennial  Belgian  Exhibition,  whereto 
foreigners  also  are  admitted.  No  Leys.  Several  works  of 
interest  and  merit,  but  not  what  can  be  called  a  decidedly 
high  average.  Briguiboul's  (Paris)  Robespierre  with  his  jaw 
shattered  the  best  thing,  and  a  very  remarkable  work. 
Church  of  Notre  Dame  des  Sablons,  Gothic,  with  nothing 
very  noticeable  in  detail.  The  gallery  (the  best  thing  in 
Brussels  I  believe)  of  the  Duke  d'Aremberg  is  all  topsy- 
turvy during  repairs,  and  not  to  be  seen.  .  .  .  After  dinner 
to  the  Theatre  du  Pare,  where  was  the  ordinary  company — 
a  light  comedy  and  comedietta  both  well  played,  especially 
a  lout  in  the  latter  by  Jolly.  Saw  the  Grande  Place  and 
Hotel  de  Ville  in  going  to  the  theatre,  but  too  dusk  to 
get  much  beyond  the  general  effect,  which  is  noticeably 
good. 

Stmdqy,  6. — To  the  Museum  of  Paintings — some  700 
or  800,  I  think,  with  a  very  sufficient  quantity  of  things  to 
look  at.  Rubens,  several  large  pictures,  but  not  in  extra- 
ordinary force.  The  finest  of  the  large  ones  is  perhaps  an 
Adoration  of  the  Magi,  resembling  some  other  of  his  versions 
of  that  subject.  Of  the  smaller,  a  magnificent  bust-portrait 
of  a  Duchess  of  the  reigning  family  (or  some  such  person- 
age) ;  and,  somewhat  less  remarkable,  her  husband ;  also 
a  small  sketch  of  martyrdom  of  many  ladies.  A  Tintoret 
of  some  legend  of  a  saint,  with  splendid  background  of 
storm  and  wreck.  Veronese,  Holy  Family  and  St  Katharine^ 
very  fine,  especially  Katharine ;  Adoration  of  Kings,  with 
very  delightful  Annunciation  to  Shepherds  in  middle 
distance.  A  very  clever  allegorical  sketchy  picture  by 
Jordaens — blue-grey  tone,  only  just  not  so  good  as  similar 
work  by  Rubens.  An  admirable  portrait  of  a  man  by 
Rembrandt.  Three  smallish  rooms  of  the  old  Flemish 
pictures;  several  valuable  but  few  first-rate.  A  smallish 
Van  Eyck  (John),  Adoration  of  the  Kings,  very  finished, 
and  fine  tone.  Two  large  pictures  by  Stuerbout,  of 
martyrdom  etc.  of  some  female  saint,  high-class  specimens. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1863  33 


A  triptych  by  Van  Orley,  main  subject  The  Pietd^  extremely 
fine. — Zoological  Gardens — a  funny  brown  bear  who  lies 
down  etc.  at  command,  elephant,  bison,  lion,  camel,  etc. 
Gallinaceous  birds,  herons,  etc.,  allowed  to  walk  free  about 
the  garden.  The  enclosures  spacious  ;  big  lake  for  wild- 
fowl etc.,  far  bigger  than  in  London.  Poultry  named 
Padoues  (I  think  chiefly  from  this  part  of  Europe)  with 
plumy  heads,  very  pretty. — Went  to  the  Cathedral  :  a 
satisfactory  Gothic  building,  but  not  anything  very  special — 
surface  outside  much  rechiselled,  and  inside  all  whitewashed. 
The  much-vaunted  painted  glass  does  not  include  any  of 
the  very  best  class  or  period.  Far  the  best  is  the  great 
west  window  of  the  Last  Judgment,  chxa  1500  (?),  a  very 
excellent  specimen.  Others,  with  portrait  of  Charles  V., 
Salutation,  etc.,  are  good  of  their  class,  but  not  in  any  way 
surprising,  and  the  class  far  from  the  best. — After  dinner 
to  the  Theatre  Lyrique  (a  saloon-theatre),  and  the  Vaux- 
hall  Concert  by  the  Park  ;  but  both  bored  us,  and  we  left. — 
In  the  Museum  is  a  noticeable  series  of  largeish  paintings 
by  Philippe  de  Champaigne  from  the  life  of  some  Saint, 
comparable  with  the  Lesueurs  of  St  Bruno,  and  the  best 
of  them  better;  one  of  the  refectory,  and  the  Saint  com- 
manding a  raven  to  hand  up  a  loaf  of  bread  ;  and  another 
of  some  miracle  in  the  kitchen  with  a  blaze  of  fire — this 
especially  a  very  able  work.  A  Giorgione  (?)  head  of  a 
beautiful  young  man,  with  peculiar  and  delightful  costume, 
of  which  Gabriel  took  a  memorandum.  Preti  Calabrese  (the 
first  picture  I  remember  of  his),  a  remarkable  piece  of 
energy  and  movement,  a  large  picture  of  a  woman  stagger- 
ing two  men  whom  she  advances  against. 

Monday,  7. — Left  Brussels  for  Antwerp — a  dull  showery 
day,  going  on  to  heavy  rain  in  the  early  afternoon,  but 
clearing  up  fairly  afterwards.  To  the  Museum.  Gabriel 
and  I  agree  in  thinking  that  the  enormously  vaunted 
Rubenses  here  are  over-rated.  Tlie  Crucifixioji  is  a  fine  one, 
of  a  complete  but  not  very  striking  order  ;  The  Last  Com- 
munion of  St  Jerome  excellent,  but  not  quite  up  to  my 
reminiscence  of  it.    The  Adoration  of  the  Kings  is,  on  the 

C 


34 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


whole,  rather  a  specimen  of  Rubens's  offensive  qualities.  Of 
the  others,  there  is  none  of  the  first  class.  A  Titian,  of 
Alexander  VI.  presenting  a  Sforza  to  Peter,  is  about 
the  best  "  painter's  picture "  in  the  gallery.  The  old 
Flemish  Van  Ertborn  Collection,  not  many  masterpieces. 
To  Church  of  St  Jaques,  where  Rubens  is  buried.  In 
the  chapel  containing  his  tomb,  the  picture  where  Rubens 
has  represented  himself  as  St  George,  his  grandfather  as 
Time,  etc.,  is  a  very  fine  specimen  for  colour  and  beauty  of 
the  women.  The  Gardien,  who  used  to  be  a  schoolfellow 
of  Leys,  says  a  Rubens,  descended  from  the  painter's 
brother,  is  living  to  represent  the  family.  We  asked  him 
about  Leys's  Hotel  de  Ville  paintings ;  and  he  said  that  we 
could  call  on  Leys,  who  would  accompany  us  if  the  works 
are  not  publicly  visible :  we  are  not  likely  to  have  the 
cheek  for  this.  Some  old  pictures  (twelve)  of  Acts  of  St 
Hubert,  said  to  be  by  a  follower  of  Memling,  and  one  of 
them  by  Memling  himself,  much  studied  by  Leys,  says  the 
Gardien ;  also  a  pair  of  brass  candlesticks  in  the  Rubens 
chapel.  A  very  leading  large  triptych  by  Bernard  van 
Orley,  of  Last  Judgment,  and  the  donors,  male  and  female, 
represented  as  old  people,  with  family  (under  the  protection 
of  two  Saints,  being  themselves  as  at  time  of  marriage).  To 
the  Cathedral.  The  Descent  fro7n  the  Cross  is  certainly  a 
very  magnificent  picture,  somewhat  black ;  the  lower  part 
of  the  side-panel  of  The  Salutation,  with  a  trailing-tailed 
peacock,  etc.,  most  delightful.  The  two  outside  subjects, 
St  Christopher  and  some  hermit,  not  to  be  seen.  The 
other  great  triptych,  The  Elevation  of  the  Cross,  with  side- 
pieces  connected  therewith,  contains  perhaps  a  still  greater 
number  of  astonishing  excellencies.  The  outside  panels, 
figures  of  Saints,  are  most  gorgeous  bits  of  work,  and 
one  woman  of  them  (Katharine  ?)  singularly  beautiful  and 
queenly.  The  high-altar  piece,  The  Asstcmption  of  the 
Virgin,  is  a  very  distinguished  and  beautiful  Rubens,  not 
very  interesting  to  me.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  fine 
painted  glass  in  the  Cathedral ;  notably,  in  one  of  the 
apse-chapels,  figures  of  Kings  etc,  with  Saints,  light  figures 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI- DIARY,  1863  35 


on  a  very  deep  indigoish-blue  ground. — After  dinner  strolled 
out,  and  found  very  near  our  hotel  (Grand  Laboureur, 
Place  de  Meir)  the  house  of  Rubens  ;  a  very  large  build- 
ing, done  up  in  a  horrid  style  some  ten  years  ago.  At 
night,  to  two  dancing-places  in  the  Rue  Dyck.  The  bar- 
barism of  dogcarts  still  prevails  in  Belgium. 

Tuesday,  8. — Visited  the  Church  of  St  Paul.  The  carved 
and  coloured  Purgatory  etc.  is  not  without  something 
impressive.  Rubens's  Flagellation  fine,  with  high  flesh- 
tints,  yet  quiet  in  general  effect.  This  Church  is  surpris- 
ingly full  of  elaborate  wood  -  carvings.  To  the  Hotel  de 
Ville.  Leys's  frescoes  are  said  to  be  not  begun  yet,  but 
only  the  ground  laid ;  and  some  other  pictures  of  his 
were  all  entasses,  to  be  removed  somewhither.  The  old 
Inquisition-room,  which  seems  to  be  used  now  as  a  police- 
court,  has  some  remarkably  fine  decorative  wood  -  carving 
on  the  rails ;  and  another  room  contains  some  specially 
excellent  topographical  oil  -  pictures  from  the  history  of 
Antwerp  —  two  by  Nicholas  van  Cleef,  about  1530,  and 
one  about  1650.  To  St  Augustine's,  which  contains 
Rubens's  Marriage  of  St  Katharine,  a  good  fully-carried- 
out  example,  not  amounting  to  very  much,  I  think.  To 
St  Andre's,  with  the  portrait  and  inscription  to  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots,  and  a  series  of  small  sketchy  Saint- 
pictures  by  Rubens,  done  in  some  notably  short  time  ; 
slight  and  rather  poor  affairs.  To  a  private  collection  of 
pictures,  M.  de  Wuits's,  some  hundred  or  so  works,  large 
and  small.  A  very  delightful  interior  by  de  Hooghe,  with 
reflected  lights,  and  a  gentleman  smoking  a  pipe.  A  grand 
life-sized  nude  study  by  Velasquez  called  Prometheus,  most 
masterly,  and  beautiful  brown  and  grey  tone  of  flesh ; 
also  a  good  portrait  by  him,  which  I  believe  to  be  genuine 
but  Gabriel  doubts.  A  so-called  Raphael,  La  Vierge  au 
Lange,  has,  I  should  say,  no  pretence  to  genuineness.  The 
miserable  absurdity  of  re  -  painting  is  rife  in  Antwerp, 
several  leading  Rubenses  and  Vandycks  in  the  Musee  and 
the  Churches  being  obviously  mauled. — Getting  among  the 
old  and  out-of-the-way  shops,  we  bought  a  good  number 


36 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


of  things  :  brass  pots,  gold  ornament  as  worn  by  peasants, 
a  large  pot  with  blue  figures  of  birds  etc.,  a  Dutch  Bible 
with  old  prints,  some  valance  for  a  bed. — To  the  Jardin 
de  Zoologie,  which  is  a  splendid  collection ;  the  total 
number  of  animals  (I  should  say)  equal  to  London,  and 
some  departments  decidedly  better  filled.  Reptiles  few,  no 
vivarium,  and  not  much  of  rodents  that  we  saw.  The  path 
as  one  enters  is  bordered  by  a  row  of  splendid  parrots  on 
separate  stands  ;  and  further  on  there  is  a  most  magnifi- 
cent blue-and-yellow  macaw,  nearly  double  the  size  of 
an  ordinary  one.  A  vast  number  of  small  and  moderate- 
sized  birds,  in  large  spaces,  and  multitudes  of  the  same 
sort  together.  In  this  respect  and  generally,  the  laying- 
out  of  the  space  is  excellent,  the  animals  having  ample 
room  to  move  about  in  and  be  seen.  A  young  elephant 
four  years  old,  somewhat  the  size  of  a  bullock,  with  a 
most  flexible  trunk ;  a  young  blue-faced  baboon,  colour 
as  yet  dim  ;  two  lion-cubs ;  a  remarkably  fine  rhinoceros  ; 
several  "dama"  antelopes,  very  handsome,  large  spaces 
of  bright  chestnut-brown  across  white  ;  a  complete  skeleton 
of  a  whale  ;  several  fine  owls,  especially  a  variety  of  the 
barn-owl  (I  saw  it  also  in  Brussels)  much  deeper  in 
colour.  The  Falco  Vocifer  (colours  somewhat  as  the 
dama)  is  a  very  beautiful  bird. — Dined  at  the  Restaurant 
Bertrand,  nearly  opposite  our  hotel,  with  Ostend  oysters 
(small  and  choice — sink  deeper  than  English  in  the  shell) 
and  cooked  peach  with  rice ;  a  very  good  house,  the 
reverse  of  cheap. 

Wednesday,  9. — Left  Antwerp  for  Ghent — a  good  deal 
of  rain,  especially  in  the  later  part  of  the  day.  Church 
of  St  Jaques,  a  fine  massive  unelaborate  exterior.  Church 
of  St  Nicholas  ;  an  able  Coronation  of  the  Virgin  by  Nicholas 
Roose,  who  shows  to  advantage  elsewhere  in  Ghent.  The 
Cathedral  of  St  Bavon.  Rubens's  Bavon  renouncing  Soldier- 
sJiip  for  the  Cloister  is  a  very  splendid  picture  ;  carried  as 
far  as  his  most  finished  pictures,  with  the  freedom  of  his 
freest.  The  Van  Eyck  is  an  amazing  piece  of  complete 
work,  realizing  the  acme  of  its  class  of  art.     The  four 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1863  37 


smaller  and  two  larger  copies  by  Coxcie  of  the  compart- 
ments now  in  Berlin  are  very  able  copies,  the  latter  more 
particularly.  No  painted  glass  here,  nor  elsewhere  (that 
I  saw)  in  Ghent.  To  the  Museum  of  Paintings ;  pretty 
fair  in  number,  but  not  at  all  considerable  in  merit — a  few 
better  works  marked  in  catalogue.  One  room  is  full  of 
modern  works,  all  or  some  of  which  gained  the  prizes  of 
the  Ghent  Academy,  to  whom  the  building  belongs.  We 
bought  another  large  earthenware  pot,  and  two  brass 
candle-holders  to  be  hung  against  a  wall.  The  old  houses 
in  Ghent  have  great  character  and  interest,  and  seem 
generally  to  have  more  detail  than  those  in  Antwerp. — 
Bruges,  Hotel  du  Commerce,  where  there  is  a  staircase 
with  very  remarkable  rails  —  figures,  in  wood,  of  swans 
holding  the  uprights  in  the  form  of  bulrushes,  all  painted.* 
The  hotel  is  a  spacious  fine  old  building  altogether. 

Thursday^  lo. — Hospital  of  St  John.  The  side  com- 
partments of  the  Chasse  appear  to  Gabriel  and  me  to 
have  undergone  some  not  inconsiderable  re-painting ;  the 
groups  on  the  gabled  angles  and  roof  not  so.  This  is  a 
less  admirable  production  on  the  whole  than  some  larger 
works  by  Memling  —  the  great  triptych,  for  instance,  of 
the  Marriage  of  St  Katharine,  with  volets  of  the  Behead- 
ing of  the  Baptist,  and  of  fohn  in  Patmos,  and  (on  the 
back  of  these)  two  Nuns  and  two  men  with  patron  Saints ; 
the  Nuns  especially  can  yield  to  nothing  of  Memling's. 
There  are  one  or  two  other  Memlings  here,  and  a  sprinkling 
of  other  old  or  oldish  pictures  worth  notice  ;  one  a  Repose 
in  Egypt,  called  a  Vandyck,  and  might  be  his.  The  build- 
ing contains  a  good  deal  quaint  and  interesting.  Two 
good  bits  of  Gothic  carving  in  tympanum  over  door,  with 
numbers  of  figures,  each  of  the  two  groups  appearing  to 
be  the  Death  and  Glorification  of  the  Virgin.  Bought  two 
peacock-fans.  To  the  Academy.  The  great  Van  Eyck 
of  Virgin  and  Child  zvitJi  Saints  George  and  Donatian  and 

*  I  recollect  having  called  my  brother's  attention  to  these  rails  ; 
he  was  delighted  with  them,  and  took  a  pencil  sketch,  which  I  still 
possess. 


38 


ROSSETTi  PAPERS 


tJie  Dono7\  a  very  wonderful  work  ;  portrait  of  Van  Eyck^s 
Wife  most  admirable ;  Head  of  Christ  an  utter  failure.  A 
very  fine  Memling,  one  of  the  outside  panels  being  an 
extremely  pretty  Madonna  and  Child.  Two  anonymous 
Van  Eyckish  pictures,*  of  an  unjust  Judge  arrested  and 
flayed  alive,  excellent.  The  few  other  works  of  the  older 
schools  (the  more  modern  not  visible  at  present)  are 
almost  all  of  some  decided  interest  and  merit.  To  the 
Chapel  said  to  be  an  imitation  of  the  Chapel  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre.  Here  is  some  of  the  best  painted  glass 
I  have  seen  in  Belgium ;  also  a  very  good  monument 
(about  1450)  to  a  Count  Adourne  and  his  wife,  in  black 
marble,  recumbent  life-sized  effigies.  Various  minor  monu- 
ments of  interest.  To  the  Church  of  Notre  Dame  (next 
or  equal  in  importance  to  the  Cathedral,  which  we  did 
not  visit) ;  a  noble  massive  building  with  much  construc- 
tional detail,  little  ornament,  brick  exterior.  The  Virgin 
and  Child  deemed  to  be  a  Michelangelo  very  noble.  A 
considerable  number  of  superior  pictures,  particularly  a 
Mater  Dolorosa  by  Jean  Mostaert ;  being  a  single  figure 
seated  in  the  centre,  with  smaller  (I  think  three  each  side) 
side-pictures  of  Passion  incidents.  This  is  one  of  the  finest 
works  extant  of  the  old  Flemish  school ;  the  Virgin  remark- 
ably dignified  and  becoming,  without  want  of  the  character- 
istic individuality  of  the  school.  The  copper -gilt  and 
enamelled  and  black  -  marble  monuments  to  Charles  le 
Temeraire  and  his  Duchess  are  perhaps  unique  for 
splendour,  and  in  all  respects  works  of  singular  excellence. 
The  Town  Hall  (of  which  we  only  saw  the  outside,  part 
of  it  used  as  a  meat  -  market)  has  a  tower  (especially)  of 
great  power ;  and  altogether  the  Gothic  style  in  Bruges  is 
of  great  vigour  and  pre-eminent  scale. — Left  for  Calais,  and 
were  detained  some  three  and  a  half  hours  at  Lille, 
where  we  visited  the  theatre,  a  noticeably  large  and  hand- 
some one.  Opera  so-so  —  farce  very  amusing,  and  well 
acted  also,  but  we  could  not  wait  to  the  end ;  slept  at 
Hotel  Dessin,  Calais. 

*  Now  identified  as  the  work  of  Gerard  David. 


^  J.  A.  FROUDE,  1863  39 

Friday,  1 1. — Returned  to  London  ;  a  very  fine  day,  and 
good  passage*  of  less  than  two  hours. 


31. — J.  A.  Froude  to  William  Rossettl 

[This  letter  admits  us  a  little  into  an  Editor's  back- 
office.  My  friend  Thomas  Woolner  had  published  his 
poetic  volume  named  My  Beautiful  Lady,  and  he  invited 
me  to  write  a  review  of  it,  in  case  Mr  Froude,  as  Editor 
of  Eraser's  Magazine,  would  give  the  article  admission. 
Mr  Froude  assented,  and  so  did  I — being  much  attached 
to  Woolner,  and  unwilling  to  refuse  him  this  small  service. 
My  real  critical  opinion  of  the  poem,  however,  was  that  it 
contained,  along  with  much  of  more  than  common  merit, 
a  good  deal  that  must  be  called  defective ;  and,  as  a  critic 
owes  something  to  his  Editor  and  his  public  as  well  as  to 
the  person  reviewed,  I  wrote  in  private  to  Mr  Froude,  to 
say  that,  if  he  were  to  invite  me  to  write  the  notice 
(which  he  had  not  as  yet  actually  done),  I  should  limit 
myself  to  praising  those  things  which  I  conscientiously 
considered  praiseworthy — leaving  unwritten  those  strictures 
which  I  equally  deemed  correct,  but  which  would  have 
been  not  at  all  pleasing  to  my  friend.  I  left  it  to  Mr 
Froude  to  say  whether  under  these  conditions  I  should  be 
the  right  man  to  whom  to  consign  the  book.  The  follow- 
ing is  Froude's  answer.  In  the  event,  Carlyle  did  certainly 
not  write  anything  about  the  poem  in  Eraser  s  Magazine, 
nor  do  I  remember  that  any  one  did.] 

6  Clifton  Place. 
29  October  1863. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  cannot  complain  of  your  unwill- 
ingness, whatever  the  embarrassment  which  it  may  occasion 

^  A  good  sea-passage  was  of  importance  to  my  Brother.  He  was 
liable  to  severe  sea-sickness,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  was  one 
of  the  reasons  why,  throughout  his  life,  he  showed  so  little  alacrity 
for  foreign  travel. 


40 


feOSSETTi  PApifiRS 


me ;  for  the  ground  of  it  is  the  same  which  made  me 
hesitate  to  write  the  review  myself  I  saw  the  poem 
in  MS. ;  and,  although  there  could  not  but  be  much  that 
was  good  in  anything  that  Woolner  did,  it  seemed  to  me 
to  be  less  than  the  best ;  and,  when  I  heard  that  it  was 
to  be  published,  I  felt  the  regret  which  I  always  feel  when 
a  man  who  is  supremely  excellent  in  any  one  department 
persists  in  thrusting  himself  before  the  world  in  another 
where  he  comparatively  fails.  I  don't  know  what  to  do. 
My  hope  had  been  to  find  some  one  who  saw  only  the 
merits,  and  could  praise  conscientiously  and  without 
reserve ;  and,  from  what  he  said  to  me,  I  trusted  that  it 
might  have  been  done  by  you.  But  you  are  too  clear- 
sighted, and  so  I  fear  every  one  will  be  whose  opinion 
Woolner  would  value.  It  is  no  discredit  to  a  painter  if  he 
is  not  a  first-rate  musician ;  but  it  is  a  discredit  to  him 
if  he  gives  a  concert  and  invites  the  world  to  come  and 
listen  to  him.  He  may  play  moderately  well — well  enough 
to  be  a  delight  to  himself — but  he  ought  to  be  able  to 
take  the  measure  of  his  own  powers.  The  Beautiful  Lady 
is  not  poetry  at  all,  but  only  very  admirable  manufacture. 
I  shall  try  to  persuade  Carlyle  to  write  a  page  or  two. 
He  could  tell  the  truth  without  giving  offence,  and  he 
might  do  it  for  Woolner's  sake. — Most  truly  yours, 

J.  A.  Froude. 


32. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  had  attended  at  Christie's  the  view-day  of  a  forth- 
coming sale,  the  Blamire  sale,  and  there  I  saw  some  Blake 
items  of  very  superior  interest.  Having  written  to  Mrs 
Gilchrist  on  the  subject,  I  received  the  following  reply. 
In  speaking  of  my  "annotations  to  the  Blake,"  Mrs 
Gilchrist  referred  to  certain  pencillings  I  had  made  in  my 
copy  of  Gilchrist's  Life  of  Blake,  which  was  by  this  time 
already  published.] 


ANNJ:  GILCHRIST,  1863 


41 


Brookbank. 
6  November  1863. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti,—  ...  So  the  MS.  life  of  Blake 
by  Tatham,  so  long  fruitlessly  searched  for  by  my  dear 
Husband,  has  come  to  light  at  last !  Both  Mr  Palmer  and 
Tatham  himself  put  my  Husband  on  a  wrong  scent  by 
being  positive  it  was  in  the  hands  of  Sir  Robert  Peel — to 
whom,  of  course,  both  he  and  I  applied  in  vain.  .  .  .  No 
doubt  the  Ancient  of  Days  with  Tatham's  cipher  on  it  is 
the  identical  copy  Blake  worked  upon  on  his  death-bed, 
and  threw  from  him  in  triumph,  as  described  in  the  Life — 
a  most  peculiarly  interesting  thing,  therefore,  quite  apart 
from  its  artistic  merits.  I  suppose  the  death-bed  sketch  of 
Mrs  Blake  which  Tatham  once  possessed  is  not  among 
the  items  of  this  sale?  No  doubt  I  had  best  write  to 
Christie  after  the  sale  for  a  list  of  the  purchasers  of  the 
Blakes.  .  .  . 

A  thousand  thanks  beforehand  for  a  sight  of  your 
annotations  to  the  Blake. 

I  know  you  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  Mr  Carlyle  has 
written  me  a  very  cordial  letter  about  the  book — awarding 
it  high  commendation  indeed ;  a  letter  altogether  that 
made  golden  to  me  the  day  on  which  I  received  it.  .  .  . 
— Yours  very  truly, 

A.  Gilchrist. 

I  am  sure  you  are  right  in  your  conjecture  about  the 
portrait  being  Richmond's — remember  Mr  Palmer  specify- 
ing this  in  describing  the  book. 


33. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  do  not  distinctly  recollect  about  my  Brother's  having 
destroyed  a  "residuum"  of  Blake  MSS.  etc.  It  is  certainly 
a  pity  that  he  included  in  the  holocaust  a  transcript  from 
a  leading  passage  in  Blake's  Fre?tch  Revolution,  a  book  so 


42 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


rare  that  some  Blake  experts  of  recent  years  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  never  printed  at  all.  The  "  long 
thing  "  by  Blake,  which  Mrs  Gilchrist  regarded  as  "  pure  rub- 
bish," was  a  prose  narrative  of  a  domestic,  and  also  fantastic, 
sort,  clearly  intended  by  its  author  to  count  as  humouristic 
or  funny,  and  somewhat  in  the  Shandean  vein.  I  read 
this  performance,  and  heartily  confirmed  Mrs  Gilchrist  in 
the  conviction  of  its  being  rubbish  ;  yet  I  was  startled  to 
learn  soon  afterwards  that,  on  receiving  my  letter,  she  had 
burned  the  MS.  The  thing  was  stupid,  but  it  was  Blake's, 
and  a  curiosity.] 

Brookbank. 
1 8  November  1863. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  have  read  through  the  annota- 
tions with  eager  interest,  and  with  proportionate  gratitude 
to  yourself  I  shall  copy  them  all  on  to  a  set  of  clean 
proofs  I  have  by  me.  .  .  . 

I  hear  the  Jerusalei7t  sold  for  i^SO,  and  the  Phillips 
Portrait  for  £\6,  but  have  not  yet  learned  the  names  of 
the  purchasers ;  will  let  you  know  them  if  I  succeed  in 
doing  so. 

I  send  by  this  post  Tiriel,  and  The  French  Revolution, 
minus,  I  am  grieved  to  say,  the  best  passage  in  it,  which 
must  have  been  among  the  residuum  your  brother  destroyed. 
I  thought  I  had  (and  still  believe  I  have,  though  I  cannot 
after  a  long  hunt  find  it)  a  copy  of  this  piece  about  the 
prisoners  in  the  Bastille,  in  Mr  Palmer's  handwriting. 
Perhaps  I  shall  light  upon  it  when  I  am  not  looking  for  it, 
as  sometimes  perversely  happens.  I  have  also  put  up  the 
only  remaining  Blake  items  which  I  do  not  think  you  have 
seen :  a  few  scraps  in  autograph,  a  copy  of  the  Laocoon,  and 
a  long  thing  which  I  really  believe  even  Mr  Swinburne 
will  pronounce  pure  rubbish  ;  but  I  knew  he  would  like  to 
judge  of  this  point  for  himself  .  .  .  — Yours  very  truly, 

A.  G. 


ANNE  GILCHHIST,  1863 


43 


34. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

Brookbank. 
23  November  1863. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  had  a  letter  this  morning  from 
a  cousin  of  mine  who  is  acquainted  with  Mr  Maitland  of 
Stansted  Hall,  announcing  that  the  latter  had  just  bought  a 
magnificent  copy  of  Blake's  Jerusalem  with  a  MS.  Life,  etc. 
— in  fact,  the  Blamire  Jerusalem  with  Tatham's  memoir.  ,  .  . 
My  cousin  says  the  portrait  of  Mrs  Blake  has  Richmond's 
signature.  .  .  . 

I  have  seen  both  Mr  Palgrave's  reviews,  and  of  course 
like  them  much  ;  they  are  very  genial.  .  .  . 

I  have  a  friend  staying  with  me,  some  of  whose  relatives 
were  intimate  with  John  Varley,  and  had  their  nativities 
cast  by  him,  which  continue  down  to  the  present  year  to 
come  astoundingly  true  ! 

With  kindest  remembrances  to  Miss  Rossetti, — Yours 
very  truly, 

Annie  Gilchrist. 


35. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

Brookbank. 
25  November  1863. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — Now  that  I  have  the  work  before 
me  in  its  present  beautiful  form,  I  feel  with  fresh  emphasis 
the  magnitude  and  rare  quality  of  your  own  and  your 
Brother's  services  to  it — pious  services  truly,  for  which,  I 
believe,  the  dead  as  well  as  the  living  bless  you  both. 

I  have  had  a  very  brief  note  from  Mr  Linnell  to  the 
effect  that,  if  (as  he  thinks  probable)  a  second  edition  is 
called  for,  he  will  have  a  few  suggestions  to  make  concern- 
ing it. 


ROSSETTl  PAPERS 


I  have  also  had  a  note  full  of  feeling  and  kindness 
from  Mr  Browning.  .  .  .  — Yours  very  truly, 

Anne  Gilchrist. 


36. — Philip  Hamerton  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  suppose  that  Mr  Hamerton's  article  is  traceable  in 
the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes :  do  not  remember  having 
ever  read  it.  The  "  exhibition "  of  which  he  speaks  was  a 
collection  of  his  landscapes  in  a  house  in  Piccadilly :  it 
went  on  for  some  little  while.  A  volume  of  his  in  prose 
and  verse  used  to  be  procurable  there — The  Isles  of  Loch 
Awe.] 

Rue  du  Palais  4,  Sens,  Yonne,  France. 
15  January  1864. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  had  the  honour  of  a  short  corre- 
spondence with  your  Brother  Mr  Dante  Rossetti,  about 
the  artistic  opinions  of  the  Prseraphaelites,  relatively  to  an 
article  I  had  in  contemplation  for  the  Revue  des  Deux 
Mondes.  I  had  laid  the  article  aside  for  some  time  in  hopes 
of  an  answer  from  Mr  Holman-Hunt ;  but,  as  I  received  a 
letter  to-day  reminding  me  of  my  promise  to  write  the 
article,  I  am  going  to  do  so  immediately,  without  waiting 
for  Hunt's  reply,  .  .  . 

My  exhibition  is  in  a  shabby  way,  but  it  is  intended  to 
be  permanent  if  I  can  make  it  pay  directly  or  indirectly. 
I  am  doomed  never  to  live  in  London,  and  I  require  a 
room  where  my  things  may  be  accessible. 

By  the  by,  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  generous  and 
kind  way  you  spoke  of  me  in  Macmillan  and  the  Fine  Arts 
Quarterly  Review.  I  fully  feel  and  admit  all  that  was 
^///favourable  in  your  criticisms.  Considering  that  I  enjoy 
colour  in  Nature,  I  have  had  immense  difficulty  with  it, 
but  find  myself  gradually  gaining  in  facility,  though  not 
so  fast  as  I  wish.    I  have  had  long  periods  of  discourage- 


PHILIP  HAMERTON,  1864 


45 


ment  when  I  have  done  nothing  (except  look  at  Nature, 
and  take  pencil  memoranda),  but  am  getting  over  these 
and  working  more  regularly.  I  am  painting  some  smaller 
pictures,  which  will  probably  be  better  than  those  you  saw, 
though  my  opinion  of  my  own  work  is  really  very  humble 
indeed. 

In  my  article  in  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes  I  should 
wish  to  give  your  Brother  the  place  which  is  due  to  him  ; 
and  to  that  end  should  be  glad  to  name  a  few  of  his 
principal  works,  and  say  who  bought  them ;  and,  if  the 
prices  of  any  have  been  large,  it  would  be  well  to  mention 
them,  because  I  wish  to  give  continental  readers  a  means 
of  judging  of  the  position  the  Praeraphaelite  leaders  have 
taken,  and  there  is  no  criterion  of  this  so  good  as  the 
prices  their  works  fetch.  .  .  .  These  enquiries  are  dictated 
chiefly  by  a  feeling  of  respect  for  your  Brother's  genius, 
founded,  it  is  true,  on  the  study  of  few  of  his  works,  and 
those  not  important  ones — yet  nevertheless  very  sincere. 
— I  remain,  my  dear  Sir,  very  truly  yours, 

P.  G.  Hamerton. 


37. — Philip  Hamerton  to  William  Rossettl 

Tain,  Drome. 
i\  January  1864. 

My  dear  Sir, — It  is  very  good  of  you  to  have  given  me 
so  long  and  detailed  a  reply.  .  .  .  Without  attempting  to 
put  myself  forward  in  any  way  as  the  advocate  or  counsel 
of  the  sect  or  body  of  painters  called  Praeraphaelites,  I  find 
I  must  speak  of  them,  and  desire  to  avoid  saying  anything 
which  is  not  true,  and  at  the  same  time  not  to  omit  anything 
of  real  importance  concerning  them.  My  article  will  be  called 
Theories  Artistiques  en  Angleterre,  and  it  is  highly  desirable 
that  the  praeraphaelite  theory  should  be  fairly  and  truly 
stated.  To  arrive  at  this  I  have  tried  to  get  at  the  opinions 
of  the  Praeraphaelites  concerning  other  artists,  especially 


46 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


great  dead  ones.  Millais,  your  Brother,  Brett,  and  Woolner, 
have  given  me  much  valuable  information ;  but  I  cannot  get 
at  H.  Hunt's  views,  and  so  must  omit  him,  or  only  allude 
to  him,  which  is  to  be  regretted.  Ruskin,  I  imagine,  is  not 
to  be  taken  as  a  precise  representative  of  prseraphaelite 
thought.  Probably  your  own  published  criticisms  express 
general  prseraphaelite  views  more  accurately.  I  think  the 
Praeraphaelites  were  generally  rather  imprudent  in  not 
pubHshing  some  authentic  statement  of  their  views,  as  all 
sorts  of  wild  notions  are  ascribed  to  them  by  their  enemies 
in  England,  and  accepted  on  the  Continent  as  accurately 
theirs.  .  .  . 

What  you  said  of  me  (book  and  all)  I  felt  to  be  true, 
even  the  bit  about  the  heavy  pound  of  feathers.  .  .  .  Hence- 
forth I  mean  to  quit  the  feather-trade. — I  remain,  dear  Sir, 
very  truly  yours, 

P.  G.  Hamerton. 


38. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  exaggerated  praise  which  Rossetti  bestows  upon 
the  small  picture  which  he  had  bought,  Barnet  Market-Place, 
is  surprising  enough.  Both  he  and  Brown  had  a  rather 
curious  fondness  for  the  ''old-fashioned,"  whether  in  actual 
buildings  or  in  paintings  ;  and,  though  of  course  his  expres- 
sions in  this  letter  are  intentionally  overdone,  he  really  had 
a  great  liking  for  the  little  picture  in  question.  I  could  not 
myself  quite  share  his  fervour  for  it,  but  it  was  a  solid 
and  approvable  piece  of  work  by  some  capable  painter. 
In  the  sale  of  his  effects  in  July  1882  it  figured  as  lot  315, 
An  English  Country  Town  about  18 10,  and  was  bought  by 
Mr  Enson  for  1 1  guineas.  The  water-colours  by  Brown, 
purchased  by  Gambart,  may,  I  think,  have  been  a  version 
of  the  Elijah  and  the  Widow's  Son,  and  the  little  girl's  head 
named  Old  Toothless.  Of  the  two  water-colours  by  Rossetti 
himself,  the  one  bought  by  Mr  Tong  appears  to  have  been 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1864 


47 


a  replica  from  the  Lady  Lilith  ;  I  do  not  identify  the  other. 
The  proposed  agreement  with  Gambart  did  not  take  effect ; 
at  any  rate,  my  Brother  never  worked  for  that  gentleman  on 
the  scale  of  one  water-colour  per  fortnight  for  two  years 
continuously.  The  phrase  "  Tebbs  bought  the  Marshalls " 
means  that  Mr  H.  Virtue  Tebbs  had  bought  certain  paint- 
ings by  Mr  P.  P.  Marshall  (of  the  Morris  firm),  who, 
though  not  a  professional  painter,  was  an  amateur  of 
marked  ability.] 

i6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
28  March  1864. 

My  dear  Brown, —  ...  I  have  just  bought  for  £2  a 
most  god-like  picture  of  TJie  Old  Szvan  Inn  and  Market- 
place at  Barnet — the  cJief-d'ceuvre  of  the  British  school — I 
should  think  by  Morland  in  his  best  time.  But  really  it  is 
a  work  which  would  ravish  your  inner  soul ;  only  it  has 
got  some  holes  knocked  in  it,  so  I  must  get  it  lined  at 
once. 

I  am  very  glad  Gambart  has  got  your  drawings,  as  he 
will  push  your  prices  up  like  mad.  I  think  I  told  you  that 
I  heard,  by  a  side-way,  of  one  I  sold  him  for  ;^50  being  sold 
again  to  Mr  Tong  of  Manchester  for  100  guineas.  The 
other  day  I  was  told  that  one  which  I  sold  for  the  same 
price  to  Vokins  was  sold  by  him  for  100  to  a  dealer  in  New- 
castle, and  by  him  sold  again  for  120. 

I  have  not  yet  signed  that  agreement  with  Gambart ; 
and  am  really  thinking  I  must  not  do  it  at  less  than  50 
guineas  a  drawing,  as  one  or  two  of  those  1  have  done  from 
Nature  lately  I  find  just  as  troublesome  as  other  work,  and 
I  dare  say  he  sells  all  I  do  at  much  the  same  rates  as  those 
I  have  heard  of  I  proposed  to  do  him  the  drawings  at 
40  guineas  each,  one  a  fortnight  for  two  years,  which  was  all 
my  own  proposal ;  but  have  not  yet  had  to  renew  the 
subject,  the  things  I  have  done  since  being  on  a  previous 
engagement  at  50  guineas  each.  I  want  your  advice  in  the 
matter.  .  .  . 

I  was  delighted  to  hear  that  Tebbs  bought  the  Marshalls. 


48 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


He  and  I  were  so  absorbed  in  blue  china,  the  night  he 
came  here,  that  he  was  just  the  only  visitor  to  whom  I  had 
forgotten  to  show  them. — Yours  affectionately, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


39. — Philip  Hamerton  to  William  Rossetti. 

Rue  du  Palais  4,  Sens,  Yonne. 
10  April  1864. 

My  dear  Sir, —  ...  I  am  just  now  at  work  on  my 
paper  for  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes ;  so  your  letter  is 
in  nice  time  for  my  purpose,  after  all.  The  information 
you  give  me  confirms  my  previous  notions  about  Prae- 
raphaelitism.  I  have  made  a  little  article  for  the  Fine 
Arts  Quarterly  called  the  Reaction  from  PrcEraphaelitism^ 
which  may  interest  you.  My  position  with  regard  to  Prae- 
raphaelitism  is  one  of  sympathy  and  goodwill,  but  the 
goodwill  of  an  outsider.  The  practical  reason  is  that 
none  but  the  best  praeraphaelite  work  seems  to  me  endur- 
able, whereas  second  -  rate  free  painting  may  still  be 
tolerable ;  and  also  that  I  am  irresistibly  attracted  to 
effects^  which  can  only  be  rendered  conventionally,  not 
imitatively.  But,  setting  myself  out  of  the  question,  I 
should  oppose  (as  a  matter  of  duty)  the  authoritative 
establishment  of  praeraphaelite  principles  (or  any  other 
principles)  if  there  were  any  chance  of  their  becoming 
tyrannical,  and  repressive  of  forms  of  genius  for  which  they 
might  be  unsuited.  Hence,  I  should  warmly  support  Prae- 
raphaelitism  while  persecuted,  and  warmly  oppose  it  if  it 
became  tyrannical.  This  is  why  I  rejoice  in  the  success  of 
individual  Praeraphaelites,  and  am  nevertheless  happy  to 
see  that  the  movement  has  failed  to  make  itself  more 
than  beneficially  influential ;  and  this  is  also  the  reason 
why  you  will  find  me  apparently  more  friendly  to  Prae- 
raphaelitism  in  the  French  periodical  than  in  the  English 
one. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1864 


49 


I  have  just  finished  two  big  pictures  which  are  some- 
what better  than  what  you  have  seen  of  mine,  and  will  be 
at  196  Piccadilly  by  the  ist  of  May,  I  hope.  But  I  am 
going  to  change  my  policy.  I  have  aimed  too  high,  and 
attempted  subjects  beyond  my  present  capacity.  For  the 
next  three  years  I  am  going  to  do  nothing  but  small 
pictures,  rapidly  executed  from  Nature,  never  retouched  or 
corrected.  By  means  of  this  straightforward  work  I  hope 
to  acquire  facility,  of  which  at  present  I  have  none.  There 
is  some  colour  in  these  new  pictures,  and  much  local  truth 
of  character ;  but  the  handling  is  so  miserably  unskilful 
that  I  feel  tempted  to  burn  them.  This  bit  of  egotism  is 
quite  sincere.  The  subjects  of  the  pictures  are  Sens  fro7n 
the  Vineyards  and  The  River  Yonne,  both  in  full  autumnal 
colour  with  evening  light.  The  subjects  are  glorious,  but 
very  difficult.  .  .  .  — Very  truly  yours, 

P.  G.  Hamerton. 


40. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[This  paean  over  *'pots" — i.e.,  blue  oriental  china — 
marks  the  tone  of  mind  which  characterized  my  Brother  as 
a  collector  of  articles  of  virtu  for  two  or  three  years.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk. 
[?  1864.] 

My  dear  Brown, —  .  .  .  My  Pots  now  baffle  description 
altogether,  while  the  imagination  which  could  remotely 
conceive  them  would  deserve  a  tercentenary  celebration. 
Come  and  see  them.  Let  me  know  what  day  to  expect 
you,  and  bring  Emma  and  Lucy  to  dinner. — Affectionately 
yours, 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


D 


50 


ilOSSETTI  PAPERS 


41. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Christina's  volume  Goblin  Market  etc.  came  out  in 
1862.  It  would  appear  that  now,  in  1864,  Dante  Rossetti 
was  urging  his  Sister  to  prepare  a  new  volume.  This  she 
soon  proceeded  to  do,  but  the  result,  the  Prince's  Pjvgress 
volume,  did  not  actually  appear  until  1866.  By  "Mac"  is 
meant  the  publisher  Macmillan.] 

Albany  Street. 
7  May  1864. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — Don't  think  me  a  perfect  weathercock. 
But  why  rush  before  the  public  with  an  immature  volume  ? 
I  really  think  of  not  communicating  at  all  with  Mac  at 
present ;  but  waiting  the  requisite  number  of  months  (or 
years  as  the  case  may  be)  until  I  have  a  sufficiency  of  quality 
as  well  as  quantity.  Is  not  this  after  all  my  best  plan  ?  If 
meanwhile  my  things  become  remains,  that  need  be  no  bug- 
bear to  scare  me  into  premature  publicity.  Not  that  the 
brotherly  trouble  you  have  already  taken  need  be  lost,  as 
your  work  will  of  course  avail  when  (and  if)  the  day  of 
publication  comes.  .  .  .  — Your  grateful  affectionate  bore, 

C.  G.  R. 


42. — Dante  Rossetti — "The  Seed  of  David." 

[This  picture,  the  Llandaff  Triptych,  was  finished  towards 
June  1864.  The  following  note  of  its  subject  and  treatment 
was  written  by  Rossetti,  and  may,  I  presume,  have  been  sent 
to  the  authorities  of  Llandaff  Cathedral.] 

[?  June  1864.] 

This  picture  shows  Christ  sprung  from  high  and  low,  as 
united  in  the  person  of  David  who  was  both  Shepherd  and 


W.  j.  STILLMAN,  1864 


51 


King,  and  worshipped  by  high  and  low  (by  King  and 
Shepherd)  at  his  birth. 

The  centrepiece  is  not  a  Hteral  reading  of  the  event  of 
the  Nativity,  but  rather  a  condensed  symbol  of  it.  An  Angel 
has  just  entered  the  stable  where  Christ  is  newly  born,  and 
leads  by  the  hand  a  King  and  a  Shepherd,  who  are  bowing 
themselves  before  the  manger  on  which  the  Virgin  Mother 
kneels,  holding  the  infant  Saviour.  The  Shepherd  kisses  the 
hand,  and  the  King  the  foot,  of  Christ,  to  denote  the  superi- 
ority of  lowliness  to  greatness  in  his  sight ;  while  the  one 
lays  a  crook,  the  other  a  crown,  at  his  feet.  An  Angel  kneels 
behind  the  Virgin  with  both  arms  about  her,  supporting  her ; 
and  other  Angels  look  in  through  the  openings  round  the 
stable,  or  play  on  musical  instruments  in  the  loft  above. 
The  two  side-figures  represent  David,  one  as  Shepherd, 
the  other  as  King.  In  the  first  he  is  a  youth,  and  advances 
fearlessly  but  cautiously,  sling  in  hand,  to  take  aim  at  Goliath, 
while  the  Israelite  troops  watch  the  issue  of  the  combat  from 
behind  an  entrenchment.  In  the  second,  he  is  a  man  of 
mature  years,  still  armed  from  battle,  and  composing  on  his 
harp  a  psalm  in  thanksgiving  for  victory. 


43. — W.  J.  Stillman  to  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr  Stillman,  when  he  wrote  this  letter,  was  United 
States  Consul  to  the  Papal  Government  in  Rome]. 

U.S.  Consulate,  Rome. 
10  Jime  1864. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  have  no  faith  in  any  letter 
going  straight  that  bears  the  family-name  you  hail  by  on  its 
outer  walls ;  so  this  I  send  out  of  the  Roman  States  to  be 
posted.  Our  kind  and  paternal  police  have  taken  a  special 
care  of  the  things  that  pertain  to  me ;  for  the  instinct  of  the 
creatures  is  so  keen  that  I  don't  need  to  write  an  allocution 
to  tell  them  that  I  detest  their  slimy  ways  and  wicked  deeds. 


52 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


In  fact  intercourse  is  almost  suspended  between  me  and  the 
Government.  .  .  .  Things  are  in  a  state  here  which  would 
disgrace  Timbuctoo.  We  are  in  danger  every  day  of  being 
robbed  or  murdered  by  our  own  doors,  unless  we  happen  to 
carry  revolvers.  My  studio  has  been  robbed,  and  twice 
robbers  have  failed  in  attempts  on  my  rooms.  An  acquaint- 
ance of  mine  arrested  a  fellow  who  had  stabbed  his  landlady 
(acquaintance's) ;  and,  calling  two  policemen  to  take  him  into 
custody,  they  refused,  saying  that  it  was  piccola  cosa^  and  the 
ruffian  walked  undisturbed  away.  Of  all  the  murders  com- 
mitted this  winter,  not  one  has  been  traced  out ;  but,  if  a 
heavy-hearted  Roman  whispers  in  his  sleep  Roma  o  morte^ 
some  one  is  pretty  sure  to  be  sharp  enough  to  hear  it,  and  for 
him  the  gendarmes  have  noses  as  sharp  as  their  fears.  The 
oppression,  the  gloom  and  despondency,  of  this  place,  have 
become  intolerable  to  me :  I  have  asked  to  be  transferred  to 
some  other  consulate,  and,  if  not,  I  shall  resign  this  winter. 
Almost  every  one  I  know  who  is  true  is  either  suspected  or 
has  been  arrested  or  under-  surveillance ;  and  the  place  is  as 
gloomy  as  a  churchyard — which  indeed  it  is,  and  the  living 
are  buried  in  it.  A  lethargy  like  a  catalepsy,  all  feeling  but 
no  power,  rests  on  the  place  ;  and  I  love  liberty  too  well  to 
dance  by  the  sound  of  even  Italian  chains,  or  not  to  be 
paralysed  in  part  by  its  paralysis. 

Between  this  and  the  wail  of  my  own  land,  I  am  getting 
the  iron  driven  pretty  deep  into  me.  ...  It  seems  at  times 
as  if  I  never  could  forgive  England  for  the  heartless  gibes  she 
has  thrown  to  us  who  loved  her  so  well,  and  honoured  her 
even  in  our  arrogance.  It  was  like  the  jests  and  sneers 
careless  boys  might  fling  at  the  wailing  of  a  woman  in  labour. 
So  we,  in  the  throes  almost  of  death — but  we  believe  in  those 
of  birth,  the  bringing  to-day  the  hitherto  unknown  one,  human 
liberty,  unsullied  by  bar  sinister  or  stain  of  oppression — have 
taken  in  anger  (almost  overpowering  our  sorrows)  the  insults 
and  stabs  of  the  kindred  nation  for  whose  defence  from  Gallic 
oppression  hundreds  of  thousands  of  us,  only  a  few  years 
before,  were  willing  to  take  arms.  Never  mind,  we've  got  the 
*  A  trifling  affair. 


W.  J.  STILLMAN,  1864 


53 


force  of  life  in  us  yet,  and  we  all  believe  that  the  nation  will 
live  through  the  worst  of  the  trials  that  may  be  prepared  for 
us.  They  don't  kill  empires  in  their  youth.  There  is  an 
everlasting  vitality  in  a  nation  called  to  empire  which  no 
outside  power  can  eradicate  :  only  the  corruption  that 
dissolves  from  within  can  disintegrate  the  mass.  If  the 
world  believes  that  the  success  of  the  United  States  of 
America  depends  on  the  success  of  Grant's  movements 
against  Richmond,  the  world  is  as  much  mistaken  as  it 
generally  is  when  it  judges  new  things  by  old  standards. 
Europe  misjudges  the  war  altogether.  It  is  not  a  war  to  be 
finished  by  a  Solferino  or  a  Waterloo — it  is  nothing  more  or 
less  than  a  war  of  extermination,  to  that  point  that  either  one 
or  the  other  of  the  combatants  has  no  more  an  army  to  put 
in  the  field.  We  so  understand  and  accept  it  ;  and,  if  in 
losing  our  brave  men  by  thousands  we  destroy  as  many  of 
the  insurgents,  we  accept  it  as  victory,  for  we  have  men  still 
to  lose  and  they  have  not.  TJiey  put  the  condition  of  sub- 
mission as  extermination — we  accept  it — and  so  the  war  will 
be  fought  through.  Europe  was  amazed  at  the  power  of  that 
western  democracy  ;  the  power  to  be  seen  will  leave  the  past 
in  insignificance ;  and  Europe  will  see  that  a  people  can  be 
just  and  generous  and  honest  under  greater  provocations  to 
the  contrary  than  the  world  ever  yet  saw ;  and,  when  it  has 
conquered  its  worst  enemy,  go  on  to  conquer  itself  Of 
course,  I  am  Utopian,  Americans  generally  are ;  but  we 
believe  in  our  Utopia,  and  are  willing  to  sacrifice  something 
for  it.  But  still  we  are  human  and  a  nation  of  individuals, 
not  a  government  and  its  people.  Let  England  remember 
that.  .  .  . 

Goblin  Market^  etc.,  I  read  with  true  pleasure :  right 
woman's  heart  is  in  it,  and  healthy  brain,  and  of  my  way  of 
feeling  in  matter  of  faith.  .  .  .  — Yours  sincerely, 


W.  J.  Stillman. 


54 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


44. — William  Rossetti — Diary,  1864. 

Tiusday^  14  June. — Left  London  by  Newhaven  and 
Dieppe.  .  .  .  Reached  Paris  about  1 1  P.M.,  and  went  to 
Hotel  de  Choiseul,  Rue  St  Honore,  where  I  had  been 
with  Boyce  for  the  Delacroix  sale.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  16. — Went  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville  to  see  the 
Delacroix,  and  saw  everything  else  instead — the  Delacroix 
being  in  a  room  wherein  some  big  thing  from  the  Inter- 
national Exhibition  has  been  placed,  blocking  it  up.  .  .  . 
To  St  Sulpice,  to  see  the  Delacroix  there ;  frescoes  of 
HeliodoriLs,  and  Jacob  wrestling  zvith  the  Angel,  with  Michael 
and  Satan  in  the  ceiling.  The  last  appears  to  me  very 
unsatisfactory,  and  the  others  hardly  what  they  should  be, 
though  the  Heliodoj^jis  especially  is  a  work  of  great  ability. 
It  seems  to  me  damaged  by  too  great  a  number  of  different 
full-tinted  colours,  as  in  the  draperies.  ...  In  the  evening, 
to  the  Theatre  Dejazet  (my  first  visit  there).  None  of  the 
Dejazets  acted,  and  the  pieces  were,  on  the  whole,  rather 
stupid.  Here  for  the  first  time  I  saw  Pepper's  ghost  trick. 
It  strikes  me  as  rather  curious  that  pieces  of  broad  fun  in 
Paris  seem  just  now  to  depend  very  little  on  female  interest 
or  acting.  Such  is  the  case  with  the  Cagnotte  at  the  Palais 
Royal,  which  has  had  a  great  run,  continuing  till  now 
ever  since  I  was  in  Paris  in  February.  So  also  in  the 
Theatre  Dejazet,  though  a  somewhat  decollete  house.  Three 
pieces  to-night  were  all  dependent  on  male  acting  and 
farce,  and  even  three  dancing-interludes  all  for  male 
dancing.  .  .  . 

Friday,  17. — To  the  Bibliotheque  of  the  Corps  Legislatif, 
to  see  the  Delacroix.  Their  general  impression  is  hardly 
up  to  the  mark — the  whole  thing  seeming  to  lack  weight, 
and  peculiarity  of  decorative  idea.  A  great  deal  however 
is  very  fine,  and  finer  the  more  one  looks  at  it ;  and 
the  colour  very  agreeable  and  well  understood,  though  it 
seems  to  have  little  of  the  monumental  quality.  Education 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI—DIARY,  1864  55 


of  Achilles,  Hesiod  and  the  Pythoness ,  Herodotus  and  the 
Magi,  three  of  the  best.  .  .  .  To  the  Louvre,  to  have  a 
dehberate  look  at  the  two  new  saloons  of  French  painting, 
in  which  there  is  a  good  deal  to  examine  and  approve. 
De  Troy  able  ;  Chardin  a  very  clever  still-life  man.  David 
has  been  absurdly  depreciated  of  late.  His  portrait  here 
of  a  lady  (Madame  Recamier)  reclined  on  a  couch  is 
second  to  few  works  of  the  kind  ;  not  to  speak  of  the  great 
merits  of  his  classic  and  historic  works.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  i8. — Went  to  Dessoye's,  the  Japanese  shop  in 
the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  and  bought  books  etc.  to  the  amount 
of  40  francs.  They  are  cheaper  here  than  in  the  Rue 
Lepelletier.  There  is  to  be  a  new  consignment  in  October, 
especially  of  books  of  birds  and  flowers.  .  .  .  Madame 
Dessoye  told  me  some  particulars  about  Japanese  matters. 
A  figure  with  a  robe  figured  with  leaves  of  a  tree  is  the 
Tycoon  (pronounced  with  the  English  "  i ").  The  type  of 
face  constantly  given  to  women  is  a  mere  convention.  The 
real  type  is  snub-nosed  ;  but  the  Japanese,  as  they  admire 
long  drooping  noses,  improvise  them  for  the  purpose.  The 
Japanese  are  much  pleased  with  European  work,  such  as 
the  cuts  in  the  Illustrated  London  News.  Boyce's  teapot 
is  a  marriage-teapot,  used  on  those  occasions  only — so  the 
Japanese  Ambassadors  informed  Madame  Dessoye.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  21. — Reached  Milan  soon  after  8  A.M.  .  .  .  To 
the  Teatro  della  Canobbiana,  an  operatic  theatre,  quite  a 
large  and  handsome  one  (the  Scala  is  shut).  The  per- 
formances were  Pacini's  Saffo,  which  seems  to  me  character- 
less enough  music ;  and  a  ballet  of  Shakespear,  while 
drunk,  being  spirited  away  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  to  witness 
a  fairyism  which  suggests  to  him  the  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream.  These  two  illustrious  personages  are  at  least 
excused  from  cutting  capers.  The  absurdity  of  the  thing 
amusing,  and  all  well  done  of  its  kind.  There  is  an 
immense  ballet-establishment  at  this  theatre — whole  relays 
of  new  figurantes  coming  on.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  23. — Left  Milan  at  6.20  for  Venice.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  25. — In  my  stroll  along  the  Schiavoni  I  was 


56 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


rather  surprised  to  notice  that  common  medallion-brooches 
of  Victor  Emanuel  and  Garibaldi  are  for  sale  al  fresco  with- 
out the  least  concealment.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  26. — -  .  .  .  To  the  Scuola  di  San  Rocco.  The 
wooden  carved  portrait  of  Tintoret  holds  a  scroll  inscribed 
(as  spoken  by  Tintoret)  to  the  effect  that  painting  is  more 
difficult  than  sculpture,  and  superior,  as  producing  its 
effect  by  less  literal  means.  The  Custode  says  this  is 
really  a  statement  by  Tintoret,  but  query.  In  1848  or  9 
several  Austrian  cannon-shot,  bombs,  etc.,  came  into  the 
Scuola,  and  the  places  where  some  fell  are  marked  by  circles 
in  the  flooring.  .  .  . 

Monday y  27. —  .  .  .  The  boatman  says  the  greatest 
Venetian  festa  now  is  the  Redentore,  27  (?)  July ;  when  a 
bridge  of  boats  is  made  from  the  Giudecca  (wherein  stands 
the  Redentore  church)  to  the  Riva  delle  Zattere,  and  another 
across  the  Grand  Canal,  so  that  the  poorest  people  can 
cross  over  without  payment.  The  festa  of  St  Mark  is  dis- 
countenanced by  the  Austrians,  as  being  likely  to  keep  up 
dangerous  reminiscences.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  29. —  .  .  .  Went  to  the  principal  curiosity- 
shops  and  collections.  At  Rietti's  bought  a  pewter  plate 
{Pharaoh's  Dream)  6  francs,  and  an  old  iron  of  a  lock  repre- 
senting a  dragon,  14.  At  Bianchi's,  an  old  Venetian  tortoise- 
shell  fan  with  central  opera-glass  (belonged  to  a  Dogaressa, 
said  the  shopman).  At  Arrichetti's  an  old  moulded-leather 
box,  20 ;  and  a  pewter  plate,  of  rich  heraldic  design  but  in 
very  bad  condition,  18.  All  these  prices  and  the  others 
asked  appear  to  me  high  ;  but  the  shop-keepers  stuck  out 
against  taking  any  less,  and  these  are  hardly  reduced  from 
the  original  demand.  The  three  last  purchases  are  said  to 
be  rarities ;  and  I  have  reason  to  think  this  is  probably  the 
case  with  at  least  the  fan,  as  Arrichetti  told  me  so  of  a 
similar  one  he  had,  knowing  that  I  had  already  got  mine.  .  .  . 
After  dinner  again  to  the  Teatro  Malibran,  where  there  is  a 
new  and  apparently  somewhat  popular  piece,  La  Faniiglia  del 
Condannato,  intended  to  set  forth  the  grievance  of  maintain- 
ing the  marriage-bond  in  the  case  of  a  man  condemned  to 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1864  57 


perpetual  imprisonment.  .  .  .  Children  come  into  most  of 
the  Italian  plays  I  have  seen,  and  act  certainly  with  great  ease 
and  intelligence,  very  different  from  the  stiff-elbowed  and 
squeaky-voiced  style  of  English  stage-children. 

Sunday,  3  July. — After  dinner  revisited  the  Malibran 
Theatre,  where  a  very  stupid  piece  about  the  Monks  of  St 
Bernard.  The  house  was  comparatively  {i.e.,  perhaps  half) 
full.  It  seems,  as  the  man  in  charge  of  the  belfry  told  me, 
that  the  Patriotic  Committee  discountenance  theatre-going, 
as  being  unsuited  to  the  mournful  condition  of  the  country, 
and  because  the  Austrians  go.  This  accounts  for  the  empti- 
ness, shutting  up  of  the  Fenice,  etc.  Everybody  tells  me 
that  things  get  worse  and  worse  in  Venice ;  trade  more 
stagnant,  emigration  increasing.  It  seems  to  me  to  be  a 
little  more  down-in-the-mouth  than  when  I  was  here  two 
years  ago,  and  the  belfry-man  says  it  is  very  decidedly  so. 

Monday,  4. — Left  Venice  in  the  morning,  and  stopped 
the  better  part  of  the  day  in  Vicenza.  .  .  .  To  the  Madonna 
di  Monte  Berico,  from  which  and  about  it  one  gets  noble 
views  of  Vicenza,  and  the  country  with  the  Tyrolese  Alps. 
...  In  the  Church  is  a  fine  Pieta  by  B.  Montagna,  and  in 
the  refectory  the  great  Veronese,  La  Cena  di  San  Gregorio, 
containing  evidently  several  portraits  (Veronese  and  his  son 
said  to  be  among  them).  The  incident  is  that,  the  Pope 
entertaining  a  number  of  pilgrims,  Christ  came  and  dined 
among  them,  and  (it  appears  to  me)  Peter  also,  though  the 
custode  did  not  admit  this.  This  picture  was  wantonly 
hacked  to  pieces  by  the  Austrian  soldiers,  but  has  been  most 
successfully  pieced  together,  and  I  think  rather  over-cleaned, 
but  the  custode  says  not  retouched  at  all.  ...  It  is  an 
admirable  specimen.  .  .  .  On  to  Verona.  .  .  . 

Wedjiesday,  6. — My  time  at  Verona  has  been  passed  in 
company  with  a  very  nice  young  fellow,  a  son  of  Smith 
O'Brien  (who,  I  now  learn,  is  very  lately  dead),  much  inter- 
ested in  matters  of  art,  and  of  considerable  taste  and  dis- 
crimination. Name,  Lucius ;  address,  40  Trinity  College, 
Dublin,  or  at  Limerick. — Went  to  San  Zenone,  which  is  a 
most  splendid  place  for  antiquity  and  artistic  interest ;  the 


58 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


bronze  gates,  of  tenth  to  eleventh  century  or  so,  incompar- 
able in  their  way,  and  a  number  of  very  interesting  early 
frescoes  lately  recovered  from  whitewash,  besides  Lombardic 
capitals  etc.  etc.  The  custode,*  a  most  intelligent  young 
man,  who  takes  the  most  genuine  interest  in  his  Church, 
remembers  Ruskin  well,  and  seems  to  have  been  imbued 
with  some  of  his  love  for  the  old,  hatred  of  restorations, 
etc.  .  .  . 

Thursday.,  7. — Left  Verona  in  the  middle  of  the  day  for 
Bergamo.  .  .  . 

Friday,  8. — Colleoni  Chapel,  many  fine  details ;  tomb  of 
his  daughter  Medea  particularly  sweet.  ...  A  most  singu- 
larly cleverly  executed  series  of  bas-reliefs  outside  along  the 
lower  line  of  the  windows  : —  i.  Hercules  and  Antaeus.  2. 
Hercules  killing  lion.  Both  splendid.  3.  Creation  of  Adam. 
4.  Creation  of  Eve.  5.  Temptation — the  serpent  is  a  draped 
female  figure  with  serpent's  tail  and  bat's  wings — stands 
upright  on  stem  of  tree.  6.  Expulsion — God  acts  as  expel- 
ling angel  wielding  sword.  7.  Labour  of  Adam  and  Eve — 
very  exquisite.  8.  Sacrifice  of  Cain  and  Abel — Cain  brings 
a  whole  palm-tree.  9.  Murder  of  Abel — most  admirable. 
10.  Lamech  killing  Cain.  11.  Lamech  killing  his  boy,  some 
eight  years  old ;  seems  beating  him  to  death  with  bow  as 
with  a  whip.  12.  Sacrifice  of  Isaac.  13.  Hercules  and 
hydra.  14.  Hercules  and  bull — splendid.  One  of  the  most 
remarkable  series  of  reliefs  in  Italy,  intensely  cinquecento, 
or  late  quattrocento. 

Monday,  11. — Zurich.  .  .  .  The  Swiss  are  probably  a 
meritorious,  but  to  me  not  an  attractive  people,  having  a  sort 
of  hard  boisterous  good-fellowship  whose  contact  is  peculiarly 
unalluring  to  me.  Screeching,  shouting,  singing,  horn-play- 
ing, back-clapping,  beerglass-clinking,  are  the  order  of  the 
day.  Sometimes  one  meets  with  positive  rudeness,  but  more 
generally  with  readiness  to  oblige,  but  not  in  an  attractive 
manner.  The  people  are  very  inquisitive  also  in  a  free-and- 
easy  way.  The  other  day,  in  the  Splligen  journey,  the 
first  thing  a  Switzer  did  to  myself  and  two  other  fellow- 
The  same  custode  was  still  there  when  I  last  visited  Verona,  1899. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1864 


59 


travellers,  one  female,  was  to  ask  us  all  round  what  country 
we  belonged  to.  To-day  a  man  with  a  large  leather  shoulder- 
bag  had  no  sooner  taken  his  seat  in  the  railway-carriage  (2nd 
class)  than  his  vis-a-vis  asked  him,  Etes-vous  soldat?'''  And 
other  instances  have  presented  themselves  to  me.  There  is 
some  satisfaction,  however,  in  the  seeming  freedom  from 
class-distinctions,  and  readiness  to  take  people  simply  on 
their  own  basis.    Reached  Bale  about  5  P.M.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  12. —  .  .  .  Left  Bale  at  9  A.M.,  and  travelled 
all  day  to  Paris.  .  .  . 

Wednesday^  13. —  .  .  .  Found  a  new  Japanese  shop  in 
Rue  Vivienne,  where  I  bought  a  few  things.  A  number  of 
books,  but  none  first-rate,  save  such  as  I  possessed  already. 
The  bad  effects  of  European  intercourse  are  unmistakably 
visible  in  such  books  now,  more  especially  in  the  colouring, 
which  is  worse  than  worthless. — To  the  Societe  d'Acclima- 
tation.  ...  I  am  glad  to  find  a  wombat  among  the  acclima- 
tizing animals — a  young  (I  think  the  common)  one,  not  at 
present  blind.  A  Chinese  dog  a  jambes  courtes  shows  that 
the  beasts  of  that  genus  which  one  sees  in  Chinese  art  are 
truer  than  might  be  supposed — something  of  the  body  of  a 
Skye  terrier  to  the  head  of  a  pug.  There  is  another  very 
hideous  and  mangy-looking  subject  called  chien  chinois  nii. 
Also  a  full-grown  broad-fronted  wombat  seems  in  very  good 
condition.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  14. — Travelled  back  to  London  by  the  Dieppe 
and  Newhaven  route.    A  fine  day. 


45. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
19  Jidy  [1864]. 

My  dear  Brown,  —  Vokins  has  never  been  near  me 
again  ;  rather  to  my  surprise,  as  I  know  he  did  well  with 
that  drawing  of  mine.    But  I  suppose  he  considered  his 


60 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


bacon  had  been  saved  by  a  special  mercy  of  Providence, 
not  to  be  tempted  again  lest  it  should  end  in  the  cooking 
of  his  goose.  However,  I  would  write  to  him,  on  my  own 
account,  to  come,  and  then  sound  him  on  yours ;  only  I 
can't  let  Gambart  have  anything  just  now,  who  bears  my 
cutting  him  well  enough  as  yet,  but  might  be  exasperated 
were  Vokins  to  step  in.  Could  I  not  write  to  Vokins 
something  to  the  effect  that  you  have  recently  been 
working  up  some  water-colours,  original  sketches  for  some 
of  your  pictures,  etc.,  and,  having  a  private  circle  of 
purchasers  less  adapted  for  such  works  than  the  general 
market,  would  like  to  see  him  about  them  ?  What  say 
you  ? 

My  big  jobs  have  been  hanging  fire  ever  since,  though 
both  show  good  signs  of  life,  and  one  I  suppose  is  sure  to 
turn  out  something  better  than  another  phial  in  the  museum 
of  artistic  foetuses.  When  this  is  accomplished — before  long, 
I  still  suppose — I  must  press  you  to  let  me  be  of  any 
momentary  use  I  can,  and  may  moreover,  if  you  like,  be 
then  easily  able  to  write  to  this  new  quarter  about  the 
works  you  have  at  disposal.  .  .  .  — Yours  ever, 

D.  G.  R. 


46. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  term  "  the  demon  Dunlop "  was  already,  at  this 
early  stage  of  affairs,  my  brother's  name  for  Mr  Walter 
Dunlop  of  Bingley ;  because  (as  appears  from  the  next 
ensuing  letter,  and  from  the  letter  to  Mr  Aldam  Heaton, 
No.  103)  Mr  Dunlop  paid  no  sort  of  attention  to  the 
business -letters  addressed  to  him  with  regard  to  the 
commission  he  had  offered.  "  My  Venus  "  was  the  rather 
large  oil-picture  named  Venus  Verticordia?^ 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1864 


61 


i6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[ii  August  1864.] 

My  dear  Brown, — I  also  have  heard  from  Heaton,  and 
really  feel  almost  guilty  of  the  stupidity  of  all  these 
people,  in  having  advised  you  to  send  among  them.  The 
demon  Dunlop  certainly  ought  not  to  have  been  allowed 
to  have  the  drawings  within  range  of  his  horns  and  tail, 
and  I  am  surprised  at  Heaton's  allowing  it.  ...  I  fear, 
after  what  Gambart  has  just  hauled  in  there  (^5000  I  was 
told),  every  one  must  be  cleaned  out  and  sheepish.  I  fear 
I'm  a  poor  sort  of  muff  myself  for  having  led  you  among 
such  a  lot,  particularly  with  my  own  experience  of  some 
of  them,  but  that  has  been  chiefly  since.  .  .  . 

I  have  lost  infinite  time  looking  for  honeysuckles  for 
my  Venus,  but  the  picture  is  going  to  be  a  stunner  now, 
and  goes  on  fast.  .  .  .  — Yours, 

D.  G.  R. 

Burn. 


47.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[12  August  1864.] 

My  dear  Brown, —  ...  As  for  the  big  commissions,  I 
begin  to  think  it  will  prove  all  moonshine.  It  seems 
impossible  to  get  a  word  from  Dunlop  now — not  to  speak 
of  a  cheque ;  and  I  am  sick  of  the  whole  affair,  and  shall 
trouble  my  head  no  more  with  it.  .  .  . 

I  have  been  worried  almost  out  of  my  life  looking  for 
honeysuckles  to  paint  from — have  lost  a  whole  week,  and 
pounds  on  pounds,  about  it.  As  soon  as  I  set  about  doing 
my  best,  I  get  bankrupt  at  once.  The  only  thing  is  to 
stick  to  the  water-colours  and  earn  whereby  to  live. — Yours 
ever, 

D.  G.  R. 


62 


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48. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[Mr  Trist  was  a  Wine-merchant  at  Brighton,  who  bought 
one  or  two  works  from  Rossetti,  and  more  from  Brown. 
His  "picture"  may,  I  suppose,  have  been  King  Rene's 
Honeymoon.  A  nimbus  was  not  supplied  to  the  head  of 
Venus  Verticordia — the  oil-picture.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[23  August  i864.y 

My  dear  Brown,  —  Entre  nous,  did  you  ever  get  an 
advance  from  Trist?  Roses  and  honeysuckles  have  left 
me  penniless.  I  have  got  on  to  T[rist]'s  picture,  and  shall 
have  done  it  in  much  less  than  a  month,  so  would  like  to 
draw  half  its  price ;  but  wouldn't  well  like  to  propose  if 
he  isn't  used  to  be  "  drawed  like  a  badger." — Ever  yours, 

D.  G.  R. 

What  do  you  think  of  putting  a  nimbus  behind  my 
Venus's  head  ?    I  believe  the  Greeks  used  to  do  it. 


49.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[25  August  1864.] 

My  dear  Brown, —  .  .  .  I'll  forbear  from  springing  at  the 
unaccustomed  throat  of  Trist,  if  possible ;  but  really  a  man 
shouldn't  buy  pictures  without  nerving  himself  beforehand 
against  commercial  garotte. — Yours  ever  truly, 

D.  G.  R. 


J.  A.  FROUDE,  1864 


63 


50. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
I  September  1864. 

My  dea.r  Brown, —  ...  I  finished  Trist's  pot-boiler 
to-day,  and  lo  the  pot  shall  boil  for  a  season.  For  him,  may 
his  mirth,  when  he  sees  it,  not  be  even  as  the  crackling  of 
thorns  under  a  pot.    He  will  face  it  on  Saturday. — Your 

D.  Gabriel  R. 


51. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Che\^e  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[5  September  1864.] 

My  dear  Brown, — Mr  Trist  was  here  to-day  and  took 
his  picture,  and  liked  it  very  much,  and  paid  for  it.  I  have 
been  at  work  on  it  exactly  eight  days,  so  it  pays  better 
than  most  things,  though  cheap.  .  .  .  — Yours  ever, 

D.  G.  R. 


52.— J.  A.  Froude  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  article  by  Swinburne  which  is  here  referred  to 
must  apparently  be  a  specimen  of  his  Essay  on  Blake.  I 
do  not  however  remember  that  this  was  actually  offered 
to  Froude  for  Frasers  Magazine.  I  certainly  did  not  either 
contribute  or  tender  to  that  magazine  an  article  on  the 
stupendous  masterpiece  Atalanta  in  Calydon.  The  reason 
per  contra  must  I  think  have  been  that  I  was  offering  to 
The  Pall  Mall  Gazette  a  critique  on  that  drama :  it  was 
considered  too  exuberant  in  praise,  and  was  not  inserted.] 


64 


KOSSETTI  PAPERS 


6  Clifton  Place,  Hyde  Park. 
21  November  [1864]. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Nobody  knows  better  than  you 
the  difference  between  real  eloquence  and  florid  fine 
writing,  nor  would  you  speak  of  anything  as  "  tran- 
scendently  fine  "  without  weighing  your  words. 

I  have  seen  some  things  by  Swinburne,  and  heard  others 
read.  There  was  no  doubt  a  power  of  a  kind  in  them.  .  .  . 
Your  own  opinion  weighs  so  much  with  me  that  I  would 
very  gladly  see  his  article.  Could  you  not  get  it  from  him 
without  mentioning  my  name  ?  .  .  .  At  all  events  I  will 
trust  your  judgment  about  Atalanta^  and  leave  you  free 
to  say  what  you  like  about  it. — Faithfully  yours, 

J.  A.  Froude. 


53. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[Rossetti,  in  this  note,  passes  rather  summary  sentence 
upon  two  painters  of  distinction.  Of  Albert  Moore  neither 
my  Brother  nor  myself  saw  much  at  any  time.  So  far  as 
I  observed,  he  did  not  come  out  much  in  conversation,  yet 
it  is  quite  possible  that  among  his  genuine  intimates  he 
was  not  "a  dull  dog."  Inchbold  I  knew  well,  and  liked 
him  ;  though  it  is  a  fact  that  there  was  in  him  something 
between  uneasy  modesty  and  angular  self-opinion,  not 
promoting  smoothness  of  intercourse.  My  Brother,  who 
had  probably  seen  less  of  Inchbold  than  I  had,  did  not 
affect  personages  of  that  turn ;  it  was  somewhere  about 
this  time  that  he  said,  in  talking  to  me  and  others  (I  think 
Mr  George  Meredith  was  one),  "  I  can't  get  on  with  men 
who  are  not  men  of  the  world."  To  term  Inchbold  "less 
a  bore  than  a  curse"  was  not  reasonable,  if  reason  consists 
in  well-weighed  moderation :  but  Dante  Rossetti  did  not 
always  want  to  be  thus  reasonable.] 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1864 


65 


i6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[?  1864]. 

My  dear  Brown, — I'll  come  Saturday  of  course.  As 
to  bores,  I've  met  Moore  once,  and  found  him  a  dull  dog : 
accordingly  the  other  day,  meeting  him,  I  was  as  though 
I  saw  him  not.  Whether  he  noticed  or  not  I  don't  know, 
but  dull  dogs  are  best  avoided.  Inchbold  is  less  a  bore 
than  a  curse.  In  the  latter  capacity  he  courts  elaborate 
avoidance  rather  than  deliberate  invitation.  I  hope  this 
sudden  outburst  of  fashion  means  tin. — Your  affectionate 

D.  G.  R. 

P.S. — I  suppose  it's  togs  and  resignation,  isn't  it? 


54. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Allan  P.  Paton,  Greenock. 

[This  note  was  printed,  not  long  after  Rossetti's  death, 
in  a  little  magazine  called  T/ze  North  ParisJi  Magazine 
(Greenock).  Four  stained-glass  windows  were,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  note,  supplied  by  the  Morris  firm  for  the 
Old  West  Kirk  there.  As  that  Greenock  magazine  can 
be  known  to  very  few  persons,  I  have  thought  it  permis- 
sible to  reprint  the  letter.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
24  November  1864. 

Dear  Sir, — Many  thanks  for  your  very  kind  letter.  My 
advice  to  you  in  this  matter  is  to  put  the  window  in  the 
hands  of  Messrs  Morris,  Marshall,  Faulkner,  &  Co.,  8  Red 
Lion  Square,  London,  W.C.  Mr  E.  B.  Jones  has  made 
many  designs  for  this  firm,  and  I  have  made  some  also — 
both  of  us  indeed  being  some  sort  partners  in  it,  as  are 
Mr  Madox  Brown  and  various  other  artists.  I  could  not 
undertake  to  say  exactly  by  what  member  of  the  firm  the 
designs  for  your  window  would  be  made.    For  myself,  I 

E 


66 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


have  been  so  much  occupied  with  my  pictures  for  some 
time  past  that  1  have  found  no  time  for  other  work. 
From  my  own  point  of  view,  any  work  issued  from  this 
firm  would  be  very  superior  to  any  other  work  I  know. 
Of  course  they  would  furnish  the  window  complete.  Were 
you  in  London  at  any  time,  you  would  find  much  to 
interest  you  in  the  decorative  work  of  various  kinds  at' 
their  place,  and  Mr  Morris  would  be  most  happy  to  show 
you  over  it.  Though  the  managing  member  of  this 
decorative  firm,  Mr  Morris  may  perhaps  be  better  known 
to  you  by  his  beautiful  volume  The  Defence  of  Guenevere 
etc. — I  am,  dear  Sir,  yours  very  truly, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 

P.S. — I  think  it  better  to  return  the  sketch,  lest  you 
should  need  it. 


55. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  "  long-in-hand "  picture  for  Mr  Leathart  was 
presumably  the  Found.  As  it  continued  still  much  longer 
in  hand,  Rossetti  at  last  got  Mr  Leathart  to  relinquish  it. 
Mr  Clabburn  was  a  Norwich  manufacturer,  known  more 
especially  to  Mr  Sandys  the  painter.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
5  December  1864. 

My  dear  Brown, —  ...  I  met  Anthony  the  other  night 
at  Boyce's,  and  asked  him  on  Leathart's  behalf  whether 
he  still  possessed  the  Harvest-Field  at  Sunset^  and  found 
he  does.  Accordingly  I  should  wish  to  write  to  L[eathart] 
on  the  matter  (though  knowing  he  is  not  much  in  the 
buying  way  just  now) ;  but  am  stayed  by  conscience, 
which  reminds  me  I  am  always  proposing  other  pictures 
to  him  without  speaking  of  a  long-in-hand  one  of  mine 
for  him.    I  thought  I  would  ask  you  if  you  could  con- 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1864 


67 


veniently  open  the  subject  to  him,  as  I  think  he  named  to 
you  as  well  as  to  me  his  wish  for  an  Anthony,  and  asked 
you  to  enquire.    If  you  can't  write  him  however,  I  will. 

I  wish  I  had  had  one  of  those  small  things  of  yours 
by  me  yesterday.  Clabburn  called  with  his  Wife,  and  I 
feel  sure  would  have  bought.  As  it  is,  he  bought  a 
Legros — perhaps  more  than  one. — Yours  ever, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 

P.S. — Legros  is  married. 


56. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[8  December  1864.] 

Dear  Brown, —  .  .  .  I've  just  had  lent  me  my  old  first 
picture — Girlhood  of  Virgin.  I  can  look  at  it  a  long 
way  off  now  as  the  work  of  quite  another  "crittur,"  and 
find  it  to  be  a  long  way  better  than  I  thought. — Ever 
yours, 

D.  G.  R. 


57. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  "nestling  of  unearthly  aspect"  was  (I  am  pretty 
sure)  a  little  Japanese  carving — as  supremely  good  as 
such  things  very  generally  are  with  that  (in  its  own  line) 
incomparable  artistic  nation.  The  "  nest  of  crocodiles " 
must  be  a  drawing  of  various  crocodiles  (or  I  believe  more 
properly  alligators)  by  the  French  artist  Ernest  Griset, 
then  deservedly  famous  for  grotesque  designs  of  various 
kinds.  My  Brother  had  given  it  framed  to  Christina :  she 
retained  it  till  her  death,  and  it  is  now  mine.  Christina 
urges  Dante  not  to  "  purchase  the  Prudent " :  but  he  did 


68 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


purchase  the  Prudent — i.e.^  a  separate  large  Griset  of  an 
alligator — and  gave  it  to  her :  it  was  disposed  of  after  her 
death.  This  term  "the  Prudent"  means  "the  Prudent 
Crocodile,"  which  figures  in  Christina's  fantastic  poem 
My  Dream :  I  possess  a  pencil-sketch  of  hers  (contem- 
porary with  the  poem,  1855)  showing  the  prudent  crocodile 
in  three  several  actions  :  finally,  as  he  "  shed  appropriate 
tears  and  wrung  his  hands."  —  The  reference  to  "  my 
Alchemist "  and  "  the  Prince "  applies  to  her  other  poem 
The  Prince's  Progress.  It  was  Dante  Gabriel  who  got  her 
to  turn  a  brief  dirge-song  which  she  had  written  into  that 
longish  narrative,  as  piece  de  resistance  for  a  new  volume. 
The  "  three  pot-boilers  for  Macinillan's  Magazine "  may 
perhaps  have  been  Spring  Fancies^  Last  Nighty  and 
Consider:  these  at  any  rate  were  the  three  poems  by 
Christina  which  were  the  first,  following  December  1864, 
to  appear  in  that  serial.  "  The  fate  of  my  own  Bogie " 
is  an  allusion  to  the  poem  named  At  Home,  one  of  the 
best  things  that  Christina  produced.  —  The  Davenport 
Brothers  and  their  seances  are  possibly  nearly  forgotten 
now.  In  1864  they  electrified  London  by  performing, 
professedly  through  spiritual  agency,  various  surprising 
feats,  especially  that  of  getting  suddenly  free  from 
elaborate  rope-bindings.  After  a  while  there  appeared  to 
be  a  general  consensus  that  these  American  thauma- 
turgists  were  mere  impostors  or  jugglers  —  on  what 
evidence  I  forget. — "  My  early  head "  must  be  the  head, 
painted  from  Christina,  of  the  Virgin  in  the  picture  of 
the  Girlhood  of  Mary  Virgin.  I  do  not  remember  about 
Deverell's  raising  an  objection  to  the  chin  in  this  head.] 

81  High  Street,  Hastings. 
23  December  1864. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — Thanks  for  a  specially  dear  letter 
received  last  night,  and  a  nestling  of  unearthly  aspect 
come  to  hand  this  morning.  His  exceeding  comicality  is 
of  the  choicest.  How  very  kind  of  you  and  William ! 
But  I  am  so  happy  in  my  nest  of  crocodiles  that  I  beg 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTl,  1864 


69 


you  will  on  no  account  purchase  the  Prudent  to  lord  it 
over  them  :  indeed  amongst  their  own  number,  by  a  care- 
ful study  of  expression,  one  may  detect  latent  greatness, 
and  point  out  the  predominant  tail  of  the  future. 

True,  O  Brother,  my  Alchemist  still  shivers  in  the  blank 
of  mere  possibility  ;  but  I  have  so  far  overcome  my  feelings 
and  disregarded  my  nerves  as  to  unloose  the  Prince,  so  that 
wrapping-paper  may  no  longer  bar  his  "  progress."  Also  I 
have  computed  pages  of  the  altogether  unexceptionable,  and 
find  that  they  exceed  120.  This  cheers  though  not  inebriates. 
Amongst  your  ousted  I  recognize  several  of  my  own 
favourites,  which  perhaps  I  may  adroitly  re-insert  WHEN 
publishing-day  comes  round.  Especially  am  I  inclined  to 
show  fight  for  at  least  one  terza-rima^  in  honour  of  our 
Italian  element.  Meanwhile  I  have  sent  three  (I  hope) 
pot-boilers  to  Mac's  Mag. 

Think,  if  you  all  are  so  kind  as  to  wish  me  among  you 
on  Monday,  whether  I  shall  not  be  sharing  your  wish :  if 
unbeknown  I  could  look  in  upon  you  sucking  pulp  of 
(metaphorical)  plums  and  peaches,  I  should  not  fear  the 
fate  of  my  own  Bogie.  But  common  sense  rules  that  here 
I  must  remain,  and  nurse  my  peccant  chest ;  which,  after 
making  great  apparent  progress,  has  this  morning  entered 
a  protest  against  being  considered  well.  So  a  potion  or 
two  must  form  part  of  my  Christmas  fare.  If  ever  you 
should  look  in  upon  us,  you  know  you  will  be  a  boon  ;  but 
I  can't  wish  you  or  any  other  of  my  consanguines  to  come 
shivering  down  in  this  weather  to  the  detriment  of  their 
bodily  well-being  or  mental  peace. 

Your  notes  on  the  Davenport  seance  are  most  interest- 
ing. To  me  the  whole  subject  is  awful  and  mysterious ; 
though,  in  spite  of  my  hopeless  inability  to  conceive  a 
clue  to  the  source  of  sundry  manifestations,  I  still  hope 
simple  imposture  may  be  the  missing  key : — I  hope  it, 
at  least,  so  far  as  the  hope  is  not  uncharitable.  At  any 
rate  I  hope  without  any  qualification  that  you  and  William 
escaped  bumping  bangs  to  the  maiming  of  your  outer  men. 

As  to  news,  it  has  become  to  me  a  creature  of  the  past : 


70 


kOSSETTI  PAPERS 


look  elsewhere  for  news,  but  not  to  me.  I  lugged  down 
with  me  a  six-volume  Plato,  and  this  promises  me  a  pro- 
longed mental  feast.  Jean  Ingelow's  8th  edition  is  also 
here,  to  impart  to  my  complexion  a  becoming  green  tinge. 

If  you  do  have  my  early  head  photographed,  I  shall 
enjoy  seeing  it  once  more,  finished  off  by  the  chin  to 
which  Mr  Deverell  demurred. 

With  much  more  love  than  news,  and  every  best  Christmas 
wish  temporal  and  spiritual, — Your  affectionate  Sister, 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 


58. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  query  which  opens  my  extract  refers  to  the  exhibi- 
tion of  his  own  works  which  Brown  was  now  projecting. 
He  took  a  room  or  rooms  in  Piccadilly.  In  some  room 
in  the  same  house  there  was,  or  had  been,  an  exhibition 
termed  "  The  Talking  Fish " — i.e.,  a  seal  that  was  got  to 
utter  some  noisy  but  indefinite  sounds,  which  amounted 
to  something  far  other  than  talking.  Mr  Hamerton's 
pictures  also  had  been  on  view  in  the  same  house.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
Midnight.,  1864-5. 

Dear  Brown, —  .  .  .  Are  you  to  succeed  Hamerton,  or 
the  Talking  Fish  ?  and  when  ?  I  also  got  H[amerton]'s 
volume  of  verse  by  some  means.  As  you  say,  it  is  far 
from  being  without  merit.  .  .  .  — Ever  yours, 

D.  G.  R. 


59. — Frederic  Shields  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Rossetti's  water-colour  of  Hesteriia  Rosa  (repeated  from 
a  pen-and-ink  design  of  much  earlier  date)  is  the  subject 


FREDERIC  SHIELDS,  1865 


bearing  a  quotation  from  the  song  in  Sir  Henry  Taylor's 
Philip  van  Artevelde,  "  Quoth  tongue  of  neither  maid  nor 
wife"  etc.  Mr  Frederick  Craven  was  the  owner  of  the 
water-colour. — The  latter  part  of  the  letter  refers  to  the 
volume  of  woodcuts  from  Mr  Shields's  own  designs  to 
Pilgrinis  Progress^  a  remarkable  and  admirable  series. 
The  letter  must  belong  to  the  early  days  of  his  acquaint- 
anceship with  Rossetti.  "Charles  II."  is  named  inad- 
vertently instead  of  James  II.] 

50  Russell  Street,  Hulme,  Manchester. 
9  January  1865. 

My  dear  Sir, — On  Friday  last  I  saw  the  Hesterna  Rosa. 
What  a  blaze  of  glory  I  received  as  my  first  impression  ! 
.  .  .  And  I  am  not  alone  in  this.  Mr  Craven  said :  "  I 
wrote  very  little  more  than  an  acknowledgment  of  its 
receipt  to  Mr  Rossetti,  for  I  was  afraid  that,  if  I  attempted 
to  write  what  I  felt,  it  would  appear  fulsome."  .  .  . 

I  was  astonished  that  you  should  have  dwelt  so  care- 
fully on  my  designs  in  the  book  as  your  remarks  made 
evident.  I  know  the  Moses  and  FaitJiful  is  a  sad  failure, 
but  I  cannot  lay  the  blame  on  the  unfitness  of  the  subject 
for  pictorial  treatment.  I  think  I  could  do  it  very  differently 
now — for  I  feel  the  truth  Bunyan  would  here  convey  better 
than  I  did  when  I  made  that  design.  I  think  it  might  be 
made  so  much  of  by  one  who  could  do  it  rightly.  I  also 
quite  agree  with  you  that  it  would  have  been  better  to 
have  made  the  "  Good  Shepherd "  in  actual  shepherd's 
dress ;  but  one  can  only  bear  to  think  of  the  oriental 
shepherd  in  such  connection,  and  this  would  have  neces- 
sitated Syrian  sheep,  about  which  I  know  nothing ;  so  I 
thought  it  better  to  keep  to  my  English  sheep,  and  the 
old  conventional  robe.  You  credit  me  with  too  much 
thought  and  intention  when  you  suppose  that  I  meant 
the  lamb  on  the  banner  in  the  Vanity  Fair  to  have  any 
deeper  motive  than  a  reference  to  the  ensign  of  that 
bloody  mercenary  of  Charles  II. — Colonel  Kirke — who  so 
cruelly  murdered  the  poor  Somersetshire   peasantry  after 


72 


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Monmouth's  insurrection.  It  is  one  of  their  heads  that 
I  suppose  to  surmount  the  pike  of  the  flagstaff.  Colonel 
Kirke  seemed  to  me  to  supply  a  figure  of  that  military 
life  which  seeks  only  its  own  emolument  or  glory  at  the 
price  of  the  blood  and  tears  of  thousands.  I  should  not 
like  to  be  thought  to  make  Christian  turn  his  back  on 
the  Soldier  altogether — not  whilst  I  remember  men  like 
Gardener  and  Havelock.  .  .  .  — Ever  most  truly  yours, 

Fred.  J.  Shields. 


60.— Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  reference  to  "  Prudentius "  is  explained  by  my 
note  to  No.  57. — "Mrs  Heimann  "  was  an  old  friend  of  all 
of  us — wife  (now  widow)  of  Dr  Adolf  Heimann,  the  German 
Professor  in  University  College,  London.  — "  Sheet  M " 
must  be  a  sheet  in  a  re-edition  of  the  Goblin  Market 
volume  :  this  sheet  consists  principally  of  the  poems  Sleep 
at  Sea  and  From  House  to  Home. — Maria's  Italian  Exercise- 
book  was  published  in  1867.  There  are  two  companion 
volumes :  Exercises  in  Idiomatic  Italian,  and  a  key  to  it, 
Aneddoti  Italiani.  The  phrase  "out  came  the  Prince"  etc. 
must  mean  that  Christina  had  now  composed  some  portion 
of  The  Prince's  Progress  relating  to  the  Prince  himself, 
but  not  that  portion  in  which  the  Alchemist  figures. 
— Henrietta,  our  cousin  Henrietta  Polydore,  was  then 
already  invalided  with  the  beginning  of  her  consumptive 
malady,  and  was  staying  at  Hastings  along  with  Christina, 
whose  health  also  was  extremely  delicate  for  a  while.  She 
seemed  at  that  time  more  definitely  threatened  with  con- 
sumption, as  indicated  by  a  violent  and  persistent  cough, 
than  at  any  other  period  of  her  life.] 

81  High  Street,  Hastings. 
16  January  1865. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — A  thousand  thanks  for  Prudentius, 
though  indeed  I  am  not  easy  at  so  many  kind  presents. 


TEODORICO  PIETROCOLA-ROSSETTI,  1865  73 


But  please  on  no  account  send  him  and  his  compeers  to 
keep  me  company.  I  shall  much  more  enjoy  falling  into 
his  ambush  on  my  return  home. 

Equal  thanks  for  the  welcome  Times ;  though  Mamma 
had  sent  me  the  gist  extract,  and  Mrs  Heimann,  ever 
friendly,  the  article.    Of  course  I  am  crowing.  .  .  . 

I  don't  think  your  critique  on  sJieet  M  can  profit  me 
this  edition,  as  surely  M  must  already  be  printed  off :  but 
thanks  all  the  same.  Foreseeing  inutility,  I  have  not 
grappled  with  the  subject  by  comparing  passages  {N.B. 
Nerves). 

Have  you  heard  of  Maria's  astute  plan  for  an  Italian 
Exercise-book  ?  I  am  doing  some  of  the  subordinate  work 
for  her  down  here  in  my  hermitage.  Truth  to  tell,  I  have 
a  great  fancy  for  her  name  endorsing  a  book,  as  we  three 
have  all  got  into  that  stage,  so  I  work  with  a  certain 
enthusiasm.  This  morning  out  came  the  Prince,  but  the 
Alchemist  makes  himself  scarce,  and  I  must  bide  his  time. 

Henrietta's  love.  Uncle  Henry  left  us  last  Monday.  .  .  . 
— Your  affectionate  Sister, 

C.  G.  R. 


6i. — Teodorico  Pietrocola-Rossetti  to  William 
RossETTL— Translation. 

[My  Cousin,  the  writer  of  this  letter,  has  been  mentioned 
by  me  elsewhere.  I  possess  the  selection  of  my  Father's 
poems  prefaced  by  G.  di  Stefano.] 

Glizebrook  Villa,  2  Park  Road,  New  Wandsworth. 
23  January  1865. 

My  dear,  much-loved  William, —  .  .  .  You  will  please 
me  by  accepting  with  goodwill  two-dozen  select  Cavour 
cigars,  which  I  have  brought  from  Turin.  Smoke  them 
with  your  friends,  and  let  them  remind  you  of  that  eminent 
statesman,  who  has  not  only  given  his  name  to  the  re-arising 


74 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


of  the  Italian  nation,  but  created  and  baptized  the  Cavour 
cigar — which  he  was  wont  to  smoke  with  desperation, 
filling  with  its  fragrance  the  saloons  of  the  Ministry,  and 
the  ante-room  of  the  Palazzo  Carignano.  .  .  . 

Have  you  read  that  biographical  notice  prefixed  by 
Stefano  to  your  Father's  poems?  He  has  taken  it  from 
that  which  I  published  in  Turin. 

I  hear  that  you  are  about  to  bring  out  a  translation  of 
the  Inferno  of  the  great  Allighieri.  'As  that  is  the  most 
difficult  division  of  the  poem  for  the  purpose  of  trans- 
lation, and  all  the  English  versions  as  yet  produced  seem 
to  me  paraphrases,  I  eagerly  wish  to  read  yours :  don't 
forget.  .  .  . — Your  attached  Friend  and  affectionate  Cousin, 

T.  PlETROCOLA-ROSSETTI. 


62. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

["  The  annotated  Prince "  appears  to  be  a  portion  of 
TJie  Prince's  Progress  on  which  my  Brother  had  written 
some  remarks. — The  dread  which  Christina  expresses  of 
"  indefinite  delay "  on  her  part  had  probably  been  intensi- 
fied by  the  very  subject-matter  of  this  poem. — The  "  new 
little  things"  were  the  poems  named  Grown  and  Flown, 
Dost  Thou  not  care,  and  Eve.\ 

81  High  Street,  Hastings. 
30  [January  1865]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — Here  at  last  is  an  Alchemist  reeking 
from  the  crucible.  He  dovetails  properly  into  his  niche. 
Please  read  him  if  you  have  the  energy ;  then,  when  you 
return  him  to  me,  I  must  give  a  thorough  look-over  to 
the  annotated  Prince;  lastly,  I  do  hope  Vol.  2  will  be 
possible.  One  motive  for  haste  with  me  is  a  fear  lest 
by  indefinite  delay  I  should  miss  the  pleasure  of  thus 
giving  pleasure  to  our  Mother,  to  whom  of  course  I  shall 
dedicate  :  suppose — but  I  won't  suppose  anything  so  dread- 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1865 


16 


ful ;  only,  knowing  her  intense  enjoyment  of  our  perform- 
ances, I  am  keenly  desirous  to  give  her  the  pleasure 
w/ien  possible.  He's  not  precisely  the  Alchemist  I 
prefigured,  but  thus  he  came  and  thus  he  must  stay  :  you 
know  my  system  of  work. 

I  am  much  better  indeed,  yet  beyond  a  certain  point 
I  don't  get :  however,  obviously,  I  cannot  remain  here 
quite  indefinitely. 

Of  course  I  know  that  to  make  Vol.  2  we  must  have 
recourse  to  some  not  skimmed  by  you  as  cream,  but  I 
have  a  predilection  for  some  of  these ;  and  I  have  by  me 
one  or  two  new  little  things  which  may  help :  at  this 
moment  I  feel  sanguine. — Your  affectionate  bore, 

C.  G.  R. 


63. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  term  "  Lizzie's  work  "  indicates  the  few  poems  which 
Lizzie  Rossetti  had  produced  in  her  too  brief  life.  None  of 
them  appeared  in  any  of  Christina's  volumes :  as  to  this 
point  see  also  her  letter  No.  65. — I  am  not  aware  that  the 
Rev.  Orby  Shipley  produced  any  illustrated  Christmas 
volume  containing  a  poem  by  Christina.] 

81  High  Street,  Hastings. 
I  \February  1865]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, —  ...  It  delights  me  that  you  approve 
of  my  Alchemist ;  you  know  I  am  always  nervous  in  such 
suspense  :  thanks  for  prospective  annotations. 

I  can't  tell  you  the  pleasure  with  which  I  welcome  your 
kind  loan  of  Lizzie's  work.  The  packet  is  not  yet  in  my 
hands,  but  very  likely  it  will  come  by  the  mid-day 
delivery.  ...  I  wonder  if  possibly  you  might  ever  see  fit 
to  let  some  of  dear  Lizzie's  verses  come  out  in  a  volume 
of  mine ;  distinguished,  I  need  not  say,  as  hers :  such  a 
combination  would  be  very  dear  to  me. 


76 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Do  you  remember  Mr  Shipley  and  his  three  Lyras? 
From  the  three  he  plans  compiling  an  illustrated  Christmas 
volume,  and  putting-in  something  of  mine.  .  .  . — Very  truly 
your  affectionate  Sister, 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 


64— Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  numeration  of  the  poems  by  Miss  Siddal,  given 
in  this  letter,  stands  thus :  No.  2  is  A  Year  and  a  Day, 
which  appears  in  my  Memoir  of  Dante  Rossetti.  No.  3  is 
Dead  Love.  No.  5  is  Gone.  I  am  not  sure  which  poem 
is  indicated  as  No.  7.  That  poem,  as  well  as  Nos.  3  and 
5,  must  be  in  the  volume  named  Ruskin,  Rossetti,  Prce- 
raphaelitism ;  also  No.  6  mentioned  in  the  letter  which 
follows  this.] 

81  High  Street,  Hastings. 
6  February  1865. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — I  enclose  to  you  with  hearty  thanks 
your  kind  loan. 

How  full  of  beauty  they  are,  but  how  painful — how 
they  bring  poor  Lizzie  herself  before  one,  with  her  voice, 
face,  and  manner!  Fine  as  II.  is,  I  don't  admire  it  more 
than  III.  and  V.:  perhaps  III.  is  my  own  favourite,  piquant 
as  it  is  with  cool  bitter  sarcasm  ;  V.  reminds  me  of  Tom 
Hood  at  his  highest.  Our  Mother  is  with  me,  come  to 
stay  with  me  a  fortnight  ;  she  was  struck  by  VII.,  which 
with  all  its  beauty  seems  to  me  not  in  the  first  rank. 

She  charges  me  with  her  love  to  you. — Your  truly 
affectionate  Sister, 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1865 


77 


65. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

["  The  work  on  Goblin  Market  block "  had  to  do  with 
the  engraved  title-page,  to  suit  it  for  a  re-edition. — The 
phrase  "your  volume"  indicates  pretty  clearly  that  by  the 
present  date — 1865 — Dante  Rossetti  had  already  some  idea 
of  publishing  some  poems  at  no  very  distant  interval  of 
time. — No.  6  of  Lizzie's  poems  is  the  one  named  At  Last. 
The  "  correcting  small  print "  for  the  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge  related  (solely,  I  think)  to  an  Italian 
version  of  the  Bible.] 

81  High  Street,  Hastings. 
10  \February  1865]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — I  am  indulging  in  a  holiday  from 
all  attempt  at  Progress  whilst  Mamma  is  with  me :  she 
gone  (alas !),  I  hope  to  set-to  with  a  will.  Thanks  for 
annotations,  to  be  attended  to.  Do  you  know,  I  don't 
think  it  would  have  done  to  write  the  Alchemist  without 
the  metric  jolt,  however  unfortunate  the  original  selection 
of  such  rhythm  may  have  been  :  but  we  will  file  and  polish. 
How  shall  I  express  my  sentiments  about  the  terrible 
tournament?  Not  a  phrase  to  be  relied  on,  not  a  correct 
knowledge  on  the  subject,  not  the  faintest  impulse  of 
inspiration,  incites  me  to  the  tilt :  and  looming  before  me  in 
horrible  bugbeardom  stand  TWO  tournaments  in  Tennyson's 
Idylls.  Moreover,  the  Alchemist,  according  to  original 
convention,  took  the  place  of  the  lists  :  remember  this  in 
my  favour,  please.  You  see,  were  you  next  to  propose 
my  writing  a  classic  epic  in  quantitative  hexameters  or  in 
the  hendecasyllables  which  might  almost  trip-up  Tennyson, 
what  could  I  do?  Only  what  I  feel  inclined  to  do  in  the 
present  instance — plead  goodwill  but  inability.  Also  (but 
this  you  may  scorn  as  the  blind  partiality  of  a  parent) 
my  actual  PiHnce  seems  to  me  invested  with  a  certain 
artistic  congruity  of  construction  not  lightly  to  be  despised  : 


78 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


1st,  a  prelude  and  outset ;  2nd,  an  alluring  milkmaid ; 
3rd,  a  trial  of  barren  boredom ;  4th,  the  social  element 
again ;  5th,  barren  boredom  in  a  more  uncompromising 
form ;  6th,  a  wind-up  and  conclusion.  See  how  the  subtle 
elements  balance  each  other,  and  fuse  into  a  noble  conglom  ! 
Thanks  for  the  two  valued  prospective  cuts  (qu.  have  you 
a  design  of  a  tournament  by  you  ?)  and  for  the  work  on 
Goblin  Market  block. 

Lizzie's  poems  were  posted  to  you  before  your  last 
reached  my  hands  :  so  I  trust  that  days  ago  you  received 
them  safe  and  sound,  and  so  I  shall  conclude  unless  I 
hear  to  the  contrary.  I  think  with  you  that,  between  your 
volume  and  mine,  their  due  post  of  honour  is  in  yours. 
But  do  you  not  think  that  (at  any  rate  except  in  your 
volume),  beautiful  as  they  are,  they  are  almost  too  hope- 
lessly sad  for  publication  en  masse  ?  Perhaps  this  is 
merely  my  overstrained  fancy,  but  their  tone  is  to  me 
even  painfully  despondent :  talk  of  my  bogieism,  is  it  not 
by  comparison  jovial?  However,  if  on  careful  re-reading 
the  tone  etc.  subside  to  my  excited  imagination,  it  will 
give  me  sincerest  pleasure  if  you  will  grace  my  volume 
by  their  presence.  Meanwhile  how  odd  it  seems  that  just 
III.,  my  admiration,  is  rejected  by  you  as  ineligible;  about 
VI.,  I  am  rather  inclined  to  agree  in  your  verdict,  sweet 
and  pathetic  as  it  is.  .  .  . 

Do  you  remember  long  ago  animadverting  on  my 
correcting  small  print  for  the  S.P.C.K.  ?  I  have  just  given 
up  the  work,  as  my  eyes  seem  to  suffer.  .  .  . — Your 
affectionate  Sister, 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 


66.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[This  joke  about  hanging  applies  (need  I  specify  it?) 
to  the  hanging  of  the  pictures  which  constituted  Brown's 
Exhibition  in  Piccadilly.] 


THOMAS  KEIGHTLEY,  1865  79 

i6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
28  February  1865. 

Dear  Brown, — I  hear  you're  hanging  yourself  daily. 
Can  one  assist  at  the  ceremony,  if  passing  that  way?  I 
promise  not  to  cut  you  down. — Your 

D.  G.  R. 

How  does  one  get  in  ? 


67.— Thomas  Keightley  to  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr  Keightley  was  decidedly  right  in  the  meaning 
which  he  assigns  to  the  epithet  brum.  He  was  not 
entirely  right  in  supposing  me  to  "  reject "  my  Father's 
theory  concerning  Dante.  I  apprehend  that  some  features 
of  the  theory  are  decidedly  correct,  and  some  others  may 
be  so  without  my  being  convinced  of  them.  There  are, 
on  the  other  hand,  certain  points  which  I  think  clearly 
far  -  fetched  and  erroneous.  —  Mr  Keightley 's  Expositor 
(published  not  long  after  this  date)  relates  to  Shakespear.] 

Belvedere,  Kent. 
I  March  1865. 

Dear  William, — I  thank  you  for  the  gift  of  your  book. 
It  is  certainly  a  marvel  of  literality ;  and  I  know  from 
experience  the  labour  it  must  have  cost,  and  can  guess 
pretty  well  how  little  that  labour  will  be  appreciated,  and 
how  ill  rewarded.  Nothing  but  what  is  amusing  is  now 
remunerated.  Of  course  I  will  not  flatter  you  by  saying 
that  you  equal  the  vigour  and  harmony  of  the  original : 
the  difference  of  language  makes  that  impossible.  I  am, 
by  the  way,  one  of  those  who  think  the  Italian  language 
as  capable  of  force  as  any  other,  but  it  is  always  force 
united  with  polish  and  grace  and  harmony. 

I  was  annoyed  to  find  in  the  very  second  line  what 
appears  to  me  to  be  an  error.     You   render  oscura  by 


80 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


"  darkling."  Now,  if  I  mistake  not,  this  word  always 
means  "being  in  the  dark,"  and  is  used  only  of  persons. 
The  proper  term  would  be  darksome  or  gloomy^  or  why 
not  obscure'^  I  may  however  be  wrong,  and  you  may 
have  some  authority  that  I  know  not  of 

I  see  (p.  46)  you  agree  with  Ruskin  in  rendering  bi'uno 
"brown."  Now  in  a  note  in  my  Milton  I  maintain  that 
it  is  exactly  our  "  dark,"  and  I  speak  of  Ruskin's  "  extra- 
ordinary misapprehension  of  it  in  this  and  other  places 
of  Dante."    But  here  again  I  may  be  wrong. 

It  really  vexed  me  to  see  but  one  allusion,  and  that 
rather  a  slighting  one,  to  your  Father's  theory.  I  infer 
from  this  that  you  reject  it,  like  Gabriel.  It  is  a  curious 
instance  of  the  well-known  fact  of  children  differing  in 
opinion  etc.  from  their  parents — e.g.,  the  Wilberforces 
turning  papists.  I  however  am  unchanged ;  and  there 
is  no  fact  in  literature  or  in  history  of  which  I  am  more 
firmly  persuaded  than  of  the  truth  of  his  hypothesis  respect- 
ing the  Inferno.  Of  the  other  parts,  of  course,  I  cannot 
speak,  but  I  am  certain  also  that  he  was  right  as  to  the 
Vita  Nuova.  At  the  same  time  you  know  I  was  fully 
aware  of  his  errors  and  imperfections.  I  did,  for  example, 
all  I  could  to  get  him  to  suppress  the  First  Part  of  the 
Amor  Platonico,  and  told  him  frankly  it  was  all  mere 
nonsense.  That  work,  you  are  aware,  is  twice  as  long  as 
it  should  be,  and  contains  a  vast  deal  of  what  I  regard  as 
mere  rubbish. 

As  to  my  Expositor,  you  will  see  something  about  it 
in  the  next  N.  and  Q.  I  will  make  no  effort  to  get  it 
published.  .  .  .  — Most  truly  yours, 

Thos.  Keightley. 


68. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  lyric  To-morrow  forms  Part  II.  of  Twilight  Night : 
I  do  not  find  it  in  the  Prince's  Progress  volume.    As  to 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1865 


81 


"  The  Captive  Jew,"  it  is  pretty  clear  that  this  is  a  semi- 
jocular  title  (invented  probably  by  my  Brother),  and  that 
the  piece  referred  to  is  in  fact  the  terza-rivia  which  has 
now  been  printed  under  the  name  of  By  the  Waters  of 
Babylon.  It  was  originally  headed  In  Captivity,  and  was 
not  included  in  the  Prince's  Progress  volume. — Christina 
did  not  carry  out  her  "  puerile  fancy "  of  making  the  last- 
named  volume  of  exactly  the  same  length  as  the  Goblin 
Market  one :  the  new  volume  proved  to  be  a  trifle  the 
longer  of  the  two. — "Prospective  Jean  Ingelow"  indicates 
that  this  graceful  and  able  poetess  and  estimable  woman 
was  proposing  to  visit  Christina  at  Hastings. — Mrs  Ludlow 
was  a  sister  of  Mrs  Bodichon.] 

8 1  High  Street,  Hastings. 
3  \March  1 865]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — This  morning,  as  the  "  post "  is  no 
longer  running  after  me  (like  the  coffin  after  a  man  in  a 
very  nightmarish  story  I  once  read),  I  can  go  into  details. 

1.  Prince's  Progress. — I  think  the  plot  now  is  obvious 
to  mean  capacities,  without  further  development  or  addition. 
"  Aftermath "  is  left  for  various  reasons ;  the  most  patent 
I  need  scarcely  give ;  but  also  I  think  it  gives  a  subtle 
hint  (by  symbol)  that  any  more  delays  may  swamp  the 
Prince's  last  chance.  In  the  same  way,  the  obnoxious 
"  pipe "  having  been  immolated  on  the  altar  of  sisterly 
deference,  "  Now  the  moon's  at  full "  seems  to  me  happily 
suggestive  of  the  Prince's  character.  Of  course  I  don't 
expect  the  general  public  to  catch  these  refined  clues ; 
but  there  they  are  for  such  minds  as  mine. 

2.  Material. — I  have  a  puerile  fancy  for  making  Vol.  2 
the  same  number  of  pages  as  Vol.  i  :  also  I  independently 
think  that  some  of  the  squad  are  not  unworthy  of  a  place 
amongst  their  fellows.  Unless  memory  plays  me  false, 
Mrs  Browning's  My  Heart  and  I  does  not  clash  with  my 
To-morrow :  if  it  does,  I  could  easily  turn  my  own  "  heart " 
into  "wish,"  and  save  the  little  piece,  for  which  I  have  a 
kindness.    Again,  I  am  much  inclined  to  put-in  one  terza- 

F 


82 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


riina ;  though  whether  my  Judgment  or  Captive  Jeiv  I  am 
not  resolved.  The  Judgment  is  already  published  in  one 
of  Mr  Shipley's  books  :  and  Martyrs'  Song  (in  the  same 
volume)  was  so  honourably  mentioned  in  a  review  we  saw 
that  that  seems  to  constitute  some  claim  on  reprint.  I 
will  try  not  to  spoil  my  volume,  or  deal  a  death-blow  to 
my  reputation,  however. 

3.  Transmission  to  Mac. — Might  I,  instead  of  sending 
direct,  send  them  through  your  brotherly  hands?  When 
I  have  put  them  in  order,  I  should  be  so  glad  if  you  would 
put  the  finishing  touch  to  their  arrangement.  That  is  one 
reason  for  wishing  to  send  them  through  you ;  and  another 
is  that  then  I  foresee  you  will  charitably  do  the  business- 
details  ;  my  wish  being  for  same  terms  as  Goblin  Market. 
One  single  piece  in  Vol.  2  belongs  neither  to  Mac  nor  to 
myself ;  to  wit,  L.E.L.  ;  but  I  have  Miss  Emily  Faithfull's 
permission  to  make  use  of  it.  .  .  . 

May  I  hope  that  you  will  again  look  at  my  proofs  as 
they  go  through  the  press?  If  so,  you  had  better  have 
them  before  they  come  to  me :  and  then  I  think  I  shall 
send  them  home  for  lynx-eyed  research  after  errors,  before 
letting  them  go  to  press.  But  perhaps  I  may  be  snug 
at  home  again  before  my  first  proof  hatches.  Which  intro- 
duces my  health  with  a  graceful  flourish :  a  little  hobbly, 
thank  you,  but  in  an  uninteresting  way  not  alarming ;  so 
day  by  day  home  looms  less  remote. 

I  shall  be  very  happy  if  some  day  I  meet  Mrs  Legros, 
though  an  old  rule  shuts  me  up  from  feasts  and  such-like 
during  Lent.  .  .  . 

Prospective  Jean  Ingelow  inspires  me  with  some  trepi- 
dation :  you  may  think  whether  down  here  I  am  not 
acquiring  the  tone  along  with  the  habits  of  a  hermit.  My 
Ludlow  exertions  were  not  congenial,  though  Mrs  Ludlow 
is  charming.  .  .  . 

Please,  if  any  of  my  beggaries  bore  you,  reject  them 
with  scorn.  Uncle  Henry  and  Henrietta  send  love. — Your 
affectionate  Sister, 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 


CHRISTINA  IIOSSETTI,  1865 


83 


69._Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

["  Feelings  there  are " :  this  refers  to  a  distich  which 
used  to  amuse  all  of  us  considerably — I  don't  remember 
in  what  "  poet  "  we  found  it — 

"  Feelings  there  are  that  warm  the  generous  breast : 
They  may  be  known,  but  cannot  be  expressed." 

The  "woodcuts"  were  those  designed  by  Dante  Gabriel 
for  The  Princes  Progress — or  (rather  than  woodcuts)  the 
designs  themselves,  not  yet  engraved.  In  the  cuts  as  now 
seen  the  Prince  remains  beardless,  but  the  Princess's  face 
is  veiled.  The  "  severe  female "  may  be  a  little — but  only 
a  little — like  Christina. —  Under  the  Rose  is  now  named 
The  Iniquity  of  the  Fathers  upon  the  Children :  as  first 
printed,  it  bore  its  original  title. — The  Martyrs'  Song  and 
the  terza-rima  composition  named  After  this  the  Judgment, 
did  obtain  insertion  in  the  volume.  The  Mr  Cayley  here 
mentioned  was  the  very  able  translator  of  Dante,  Charles 
Bagot  Cayley]. 

8 1  High  Street,  Hastings. 
6  IMarch?  1865.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, — You  confer  favours  as  if  you  were 
receiving  them,  and  I  am  proportionately  thankful :  but 
what  says  the  poet? — 

"  Feelings  there  are  "  etc. 

so  I  need  not  aim  at  self-expression.  I  hope  the  peccant 
"  word  or  two "  may  yet  be  tackled  between  us  :  meanwhile, 
I  readily  grant  that  my  Prince  lacks  the  special  felicity  (!) 
of  my  Goblins ;  yet  I  am  glad  to  believe  you  consider  with 
me  that  it  is  not  unworthy  of  publication.  What  a  most 
delightful  pair  of  woodcuts !  thank  you  with  all  my  heart. 
Do  you  think  that  two  small  points  in  the  frontispiece 
might  advisably  be  conformed   to  the  text? — to  wit,  the 


84 


ROSSETTl  PAPERS 


Prince's  "  curly  black  beard  "  and  the  Bride's  "  veiled  "  face  : 
all  else  seems  of  minor  moment.  Surely  the  severe  female 
who  arrests  the  Prince  somewhat  resembles  my  phiz.  Of 
course  you  shall  have  back  the  charming  sketches ;  only 
via  home  instead  of  direct  from  me,  as  I  know  the  pleasure 
the  sight  will  give  our  Mother,  to  whom  I  take  the  liberty 
of  lending  them,  but  I  will  ask  her  not  to  delay  returning 
them  to  you.  .  .  . 

In  Vol.  2  you  will  find  a  longish  thing  (not  only 
finished  but  altogether  written  just  now,  and  indeed 
finished  since  last  I  wrote  to  you)  which  no  one  has  yet 
seen.  I  don't  know  whether  you  will  deem  it  available ; 
if  not,  please  let  me  have  it  again,  and  I  will  fill  deficit 
from  the  squad ;  if  on  the  other  hand  it  passes  muster, 
it  will,  I  believe,  stop  the  gap  single-handed.  Under  the 
Rose  it  is  called,  in  default  of  a  better  name.  But  please 
tell  me  whether  you  don't  think  it  will  after  all  be  well 
to  put  in  Martyrs'  Song  and  the  terza-riina  from  L\^yrd\ 
Mystica.  They  have  won  a  word  of  praise  from  Mr 
Cay  ley,  and  a  review  (I  forget  which)  has  been  enthusi- 
astic about  me  in  L\j'ra]  M[ysttca] :  so  perhaps  they  might 
take  :  and,  using  these,  I  will  soothe  your  feelings  by  sup- 
pressing my  Captive  Jew  without  a  murmur.    There's  a  bait ! 

To  be  tooked  and  well  shooked  is  what  I  eminently  need 
socially,  so  Jean  Ingelow  will  be  quite  appropriate  treat- 
ment, should  she  transpire :  she  has  not  yet  done  so. 
— Your  gratefully  affectionate  Sister, 

C.  G.  R. 


70. — Teodorico  Pietrocola-Rossetti  to  William 
RossETTi. — Translation. 

[These  extracts  come  from  a  letter  of  some  length. 
The  writer  had  received  a  medical  education,  and  at  one 
time  he  practised  medicine  as  a  homoeopathist.] 


TEODORICO  PIETROCOLA-ROSSETTI,  1865  85 


Glizebrook  Villa,  New  Wandsworth. 
9  March  1865. 

My  very  dear  William, — I  have  received  your  English 
version  of  the  first  part  of  Dante's  Comedy^  and  I  thank 
you  for  it  affectionately.  I  have  begun  reading  it,  and  I 
think  you  have  hit  the  mark.  Italians  will  not  say  of  you 
"  traduttore  traditore^'  *  for  the  sense  of  the  text  is  marvel- 
lously reproduced,  and  with  great  fidelity.  Of  the  merits 
of  the  work  I  will  not  speak,  for  it  is  full  of  them, — but 
of  some  little  blemishes,  which  I  take  it  upon  me  to  submit 
to  your  attention.  .  .  . 

Page  I,  "Because  the  rightful  pathway  had  been  lost." 
I  should  rather  read  (with  Aldus,  the  Vulgate,  the  Floren- 
tine Academicians,  and  all  the  moderns)  Che"  (not  Che) — 
Che  being  always  used  by  Dante  as  equivalent  to  in  che, 
in  cuir  In  this  line  12  you  at  once  have  an  example 
of  this  —  "  Che  la  verace  via  abbandonai"  or  "  At  which 
point"  etc.  Dante  had  not  lost  himself  in  Florence  because 
the  true  path  had  been  missed,  but  because  in  Florence 
there  was  then  none  such,  torn  as  it  was  by  political 
factions.  I  should  therefore  translate,  "  In  which  the  right- 
ful pathway  had  been  lost."  .  .  . 

Some  while  ago  I  took  a  little  respite  from  my  small 
affairs,  and  ran  up  to  see  Gabriel  again.  He  has  rounded 
out  like  a  big  baby.    Bravo ! 

But  I  was  afflicted  at  hearing  that  kind  excellent 
Christina  is  somewhat  worse  in  health,  and  had  brought- 
up  blood.  This  information  pierced  my  heart.  .  .  .  Secre- 
tions of  blood  show  that  the  patient  is  in  the  second 
stage  ;  and  then,  I  regret  to  say,  she  did  wrong  in  taking 
change  of  air.  This  is  sojnetimes  beneficial  in  the  first 
stage,  but  in  the  second  and  third  it  does  no  good,  but 
often  harm.  .  .  .  First  of  all,  bear  it  well  in  mind  that 
milk,  especially  ass's  milk,  is  the  best  medicine  in  the 
second  and  third  stages.  ...  As  regards  medicines, 
there  is,  besides  milk,  nothing  else  than  phosphorus, 
administered  in  minute  doses.  .  .  .  Fever,  preceded  or 
Translator  traducer  (or  more  literally,  traitor). 


86 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


followed  by  perspirations,  may  be  overcome  by  a  few 
drops  of  aconite  napellum,  dissolved  in  pure  distilled 
water.  .  .  .  But  what  is  most  essential  is  that  her  room 
should  be  heated  by  wood-fires.  Coal-fires  exhale  such 
a  quantity  of  carbonic  gas  that  this  would  make  the 
patient's  condition  worse.  These  are  counsels  of  friend- 
ship and  affection  which  I  offer  to  your  Mother  with 
regard  to  Christina.  She  should  lay  it  to  heart  that 
medicines  cannot  act  upon  the  patient  —  except  milk, 
aconite,  and  phosphorus. — Your  very  affectionate  Cousin, 

T.  PIETROCOLA-ROSSETTI. 


71.— Charles  Cayley  to  William  Rossetti. 

[This  is  an  interesting  little  point  of  Dantesque  textual 
criticism,  which  will  at  once  be  understood  by  readers 
familiar  with  Canto  5  of  the  Inferno  in  the  original.  As  I 
have  shown  elsewhere,  Mr  Ruskin  was  provoked  with  Mr 
Cayley  for  having  translated  according  to  the  reading 
"  succedetter'] 

5  MONTPELLIER  ROW,  BlACKHEATH. 

10  March  1865. 

Dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  have  thought  of  a  new  argument 
on  the  line  you  and  Mr  Barlow  discussed,  beginning  "  Che 
succedette  "  or  "  suger  dette  "  or  the  like.  Does  Dante  prefer 
diede  or  dette  for  gave}  I  suppose  in  the  middles  of  lines 
it  is  hard  to  judge,  for  none  of  the  MSS.  appear  to  be 
credited  with  any  purity  in  their  orthography.  But  in  the 
Riinario  I  find  four  lines  ending  in  diede,  none  in  dette  (as  a 
verb  in  the  3rd  person).  Now  the  chances  are,  Dante 
would  have  somewhere  used  dette  for  a  rhyme  if  he  had 
liked  it,  or  if  it  had  belonged  to  his  dialect  native  or 
adopted,  as  much  as  diede.  (We  must  also  observe  the 
rhymes  on  diedi^  and  the  use  of  die?)    Now  "  suger  diede  "  or 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1865 


87 


succia  diede''  would  not  have  been  very  likely  to  suggest 
"  siiccedette!'  I  don't  suppose  dettc  is  positively  confirmed  by 
stette^  credctte,  etc.,  as  the  Latin  forms  and  accents  are 
not  quite  analogous. 

I  don't  fancy  Barlow  can  have  made  good  use  of  his 
many  MSS.  He  seldom  arrays  them  in  the  order  of  their 
merits ;  or,  if  he  does,  judges  of  it  by  their  ingenuity, 
not  antiquity.  .  .  .  — Yours  sincerely, 

C.  B.  Cayley. 


72. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[I  have  no  recollection  of  the  periodical  entitled  Rose, 
Shamrock,  a7td  Thistle. — The  Royal  Princess  was  retained 
in  the  volume,  and  Amor  Mundi  did  go  to  The  Shilling 
Magazine,  where  it  was  illustrated  by  Mr  Sandys.  Mr 
Lucas — who  seems  now  to  have  been  the  editor  of  that 
serial — had  previously  been  editor  of  Once  a  Week.  I 
forget  why  Christina  had  been  "  the  Pariah  of  07ice  a 
Week'''-,  one  of  her  poems,  Maude  Clare,  was  published 
there,  but  presumably  some  other  poems  had  been 
declined. — It  is  evident  that  some  one — but  I  know  not 
who — had  assimilated  Christina  as  a  poetess  to  Miss 
Bessie  Rayner  Parkes,  better  known  now  as  Madame 
Belloc :  I  suppose  it  is  still  remembered  that  such  a 
poetess  as  Eliza  Cook  did  exist  in  those  days,  and  existed 
in  edition  after  edition. — The  reference  to  the  epithet 
"  hairy  "  applies  to  stanza  6  in  The  Princess  Progress. — The 
quaint  solecism,  "  Things  which  are  impossible  rarely 
happen,"  occurred  (if  I  remember  right)  as  a  sentence  in 
an  Anglo-German  Exercise-book  by  Dr  Heimann  :  at  any 
rate,  it  often  came  up  to  our  lips  in  those  years. — Atalanta 
and  the  Bruno  Catalogue"  are  Swinburne's  glorious  drama 
Atalanta  in  Calydon,  and  the  Catalogue  Raisonne  written 
by  Madox  Brown  for  his  Exhibition. — My  Brother  had 
lately  been  elected  a  member  of  the  Garrick  Club.] 


88 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


8 1  High  Street,  Hastings. 
iMarch  1865  ?] 

My  dear  Gabriel, — "Mine  truthfully"  is  a  critic  begging 
the  loan  of  Goblin  Market  for  purpose  of  reviewing  it 
along  with  Jean  Ingelow  and  Mrs  Ed[ward]  Thomas.  I 
mean  to  be  propitious  and  lend  it :  fortunately  I  have  a 
copy  down  here.  My  merits  are  to  be  discussed  in  the 
Rose^  Shamrock,  and  Thistle:  a  fearful  periodical,  I  cannot 
but  fear,  but  do  not  know  ;  do  you  know  it  ? 

Thanks  emphatic  and  copious  on  all  points.  I  think — 
especially  if  the  Royal  Princess  is  retained,  which  I  leave 
to  your  decision — we  can  well  spare  one  of  the  four 
pieces  you  name  from  Vol.  2,  as  far  as  bulk  goes.  My 
preference  would  be  for  Shilling  Mag  \.o  get  Amor  Mundi : 
but  "  tin "  is  too  luminously  alluring  to  be  rejected, 
whichever  Mr  Sandys  may  select.  It  is  rather  triumphant, 
too,  Mr  Lucas  wanting  me,  the  Pariah  of  Once  a  Week. 
Of  course  I  needn't  say  how  much  I  should  prefer  you 
as  my  illustrator  to  the  world  in  general,  but  can  well 
believe  that  you  have  not  time  for  Mr  Shipley,  any  more 
than  for  the  May  Shilling  Mag.  .  .  . 

"  Bessie  Parkes "  is  comparatively  flattering :  call  me 
"  Eliza  Cook "  at  once  and  be  happy.  Please  make  your 
emendations,  and  I  can  call  them  over  the  coals  in  the 
proofs  :  only  don't  make  vast  changes,  as  I  am  I."  Hairy 
1  cannot  feel  inclined  to  forego,  as  it  portrays  the  bud 
in  question.  .  .  .  Songs  in  a  Cornfield  is  one  of  my  own 
favourites,  so  I  am  especially  gratified  by  your  and  Mr 
Swinburne's  praise. 

You  would  be  a  dear  turning  up  in  these  parts :  but 
I  do  hope  to  be  at  home  again  at  very  latest  to-day 
four  weeks. 

Meanwhile,  is  not  Vol.  2  at  last  ripe  for  transmission 
to  Mac  ?  I  feel  a  pardonable  impatience.  Of  course  I  am 
setting  to  work  chewing  the  cud  you  serve  to  me ;  but  we 
won't  keep  back  Vol.  2  for  the  unapproached  result.  Do 
you  know,  I  do  seriously  question  whether  I  possess  the 
working-power  with  which  you  credit  me ;   and  whether 


WILLIAM  ALLINGHAM,  1865 


89 


all  the  painstaking  at  my  command  would  result  in  work 
better  than — in  fact  half  so  good  as — what  I  have  actually 
done  on  the  other  system.  It  is  vain  comparing  my 
powers  (!)  with  yours  (a  remark  I  have  never  been 
called  upon  to  make  to  any  one  but  yourself).  However, 
if  the  latent  epic  should  "  by  huge  upthrust "  come  to  the 
surface  some  day,  or  if  by  laborious  delving  I  can  unearth 
it,  or  if  by  unflagging  prodment  you  can  cultivate  the 
sensitive  plant  in  question,  all  the  better  for  me :  only 
please  remember  that  "things  which  are  impossible  rarely 
happen" — and  don't  be  too  severe  on  me  if  in  my  case 
the  "  impossible "  does  not  come  to  pass.  Sometimes  I 
could  almost  fear  that  my  tendency  is  rather  towards 
softening  of  the  brain  (say)  than  towards  further  develop- 
ment of  mind.    There's  a  croak ! 

Anticipated  thanks  for  the  Atalanta  and  Bruno  Cata- 
logue to  come.  I  shall  be  glad  if  the  Piccadilly  exhibition 
raises  our  old  friend  to  his  just  position  before  the 
public. — Always  your  affectionate  Sister, 

C.  G.  R. 

Henrietta's  love :  her  improvement  continues.  Is  the 
Garrick  Club  nice  ?  and  do  you  mean  to  attend  ?  Who 
proposed  you  ? 


73.— William  Allingham  to  William  Rossettl 

Lymington. 
19  March  1865. 

My  dear  William, — Best  thanks  for  your  gift.  I  have 
read  the  introductory  writing  and  several  books ;  and,  as 
far  as  I  am  able  to  judge,  consider  that  you  have  perfectly 
carried-out  your  intention.  I  have  more  reliance  on  yours 
than  on  any  version  ;  pray  finish  the  work.  I  should  be 
glad  to  have,  into  the  bargain,  from  a  mind  so  fair  as 


90 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


yours  and  that  has  so  much  studied  Dante,  some  general 
estimate  of  his  poem.  One  might  consider  ist.  Its  plan, 
and  relation  to  the  Age  (its  "accidents");  2nd.  Its  aesthetic 
qualities  ;  3rd.  Its  absolute  truths. 

To  descend — my  volume  Fifty  Modern  Poems  is  just 
coming  out.  Most  of  the  pieces  have  been  in  magazines 
etc.  The  whole  is  to  myself  already  a  thing  of  the  past, 
and  not  very  interesting.  I  am  occupied  with  other  ideas. 
One  quality  the  book  has  (implied  in  "  Modern ") — it  is 
in  harmony  with  the  best  minds  of  our  day  as  to  religion, 
being  at  once  reverent  and  anti-dogmatic.  .  .  . 

I  have  been  invited  to  give  a  lecture  in  Dublin,  and 
have  agreed  for  19  May,  subject  "Poetry."  Never  tried 
lecturing  before,  and  don't  very  well  see  my  way,  but 
think  one  ought  to  try.  .  .  .  — Always  yours, 

W.  Allingham. 


74. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[Cheyne  Walk. 
21  March  1865.] 

My  dear  Brown, — To-day  I  took  Craven  of  Manchester 
to  the  late  Fish's  premises,  and  he  was  delighted  beyond 
measure, — as  sure  to  bite,  I  should  say,  as  the  fish  himself. 
But  he  wants  water-colours.  He  is  in  London  for  a  few 
days  only,  and  wants  if  possible  to  look  you  up.  I  shall 
try  if  I  can  come  with  him  one  evening ;  so  write  to  ask 
you  what  evenings  (and  daytimes),  for  some  days  to  come, 
you  are  likely  to  be  in,  or  rather  on  which  you  will  not,  as 
a  guide. — Your 

D.  G.  R. 

By  the  by,  I  suppose  you  won't  kick  C[raven]  out. 


PROFESSOR  NORTON,  1865 


91 


75. — Professor  Norton  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Mention  is  here  made  of  a  translation  by  Dante  Rossetti 
from  Dante's  Inferno.  This  was  a  misapprehension  on 
Professor  Norton's  part  —  the  translation  being  in  fact 
mine.  In  saying  that  Longfellow's  translation  was  in 
"  ten-syllable  verse,"  the  Professor  was  only  partially 
correct ;  the  intermixture  of  eleven-syllable  with  ten- 
syllable  verse  being  very  profuse,  and  (if  I  may  give 
expression  to  my  personal  opinion)  a  serious  detriment 
to  that,  in  most  respects,  highly  laudable  rendering.] 

Cambridge,  Massachusetts. 
21  March  1865. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  am  glad  to  see  by  the 
advertisement  in  The  Reader  that  your  translation  of  the 
Inferno  is  published.  I  await  it  with  very  great  interest ; 
the  greater  because  during  the  past  year  I  have  been 
reading  and  revising  with  Longfellow  a  translation  that 
he  has  made  in  the  same  manner,  I  take  it,  as  yours — that 
is,  in  unrhymed  ten-syllable  verse.  The  Inferno  is  now 
printed,  or  rather  stereotyped,  but  it  will  not  be  published 
till  the  other  portions  of  the  poem  are  ready.  The  whole 
is  translated,  and  is  going  through  the  press — the  last 
canto  that  we  read  over,  day  before  yesterday,  being  the 
eleventh  of  the  Purgatory.  Longfellow  has  had  ten  copies 
of  the  Inferno  struck  off,  in  order  to  send  one  of  them  to 
the  Festival  in  May  at  Florence — prefixing  a  special 
dedication — "  In  Commemorazione  del  Secentesimo  Anni- 
versario  della  Nascita  di  D[ante]  A[llighieri]."  The  volume 
is  of  great  beauty ;  no  more  beautiful  book  has  been 
printed  in  America ;  and  the  translation  seems  to  me,  who 
am  not  indeed  an  impartial  judge,  exceedingly  good,  by 
far  better  than  any  hitherto  made.  It  is  a  pleasant 
coincidence  that  you  should  have  been  engaged  on  the 
same  work  at  this  time. 


92 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


I  shall  send  you  in  a  few  days  a  copy  of  a  little  essay 
Ori  the  Original  Portraits  of  Dante  (illustrated  with  photo- 
graphs from  the  Giotto  portrait  and  from  the  Mask)  which 
I  have  got  up  also  for  the  festival.  .  .  . 

War,  you  see,  does  not  occupy  all  our  thoughts— and 
yet  it  underlies  them  all  with  a  constant  current  of  feeling. 
These  last  four  years  have  been  full  of  the  profoundest 
and  most  engrossing  interests  to  us.  They  have  made  a 
great  nation  out  of  a  great  people.  They  have  wrought 
immense  and  most  happy  change.  One  might  well  rejoice, 
in  spite  of  all  the  sorrows  and  trials  of  the  war,  to  live 
in  such  a  time.  Now  the  war  seems  near  its  end — it  has 
done  its  work,  and  peace  will  be  welcome.  .  .  . 

Tell  me  what  you  know  of  Ruskin,  and,  if  you  see 
him,  give  to  him  my  unchanging  love. — Ever,  dear  Rossetti, 
faithfully  yours, 

Charles  Eliot  Norton. 


76. — Madox  Brown  to  William  Rossettl 

14  Grove  Terrace,  Highgate  Road. 
30  March  1865. 

My  dear  William, — I  recognized  your  pen  in  the  Pall 
Mall.  ...  I  knew  there  was  no  other  but  you  and  Gabriel 
who  could  know  so  much  about  me,  the  subject  generally, 
and  have  at  the  same  time  the  faculty  to  [be]  putting 
it  in  so  masterly  a  way.  It  is  a  glorious  puff,  and  out- 
does Palgrave's  in  the  Saturday ;  and  is  altogether  most 
grateful  and  cheering  to  the  senses  that  are  to  be  tickled 
by  flattery.  The  wind-up  is  magnificent.  I  shall  want 
to  see  you  shortly,  to  talk  these  sort  of  things  over.  ...  — 
Ever  yours  sincerely. 

Ford  Madox  Brown. 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1865 


93 


77. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  first  jocular  reference  to  "paroxysms  of  stamp- 
ing" etc.  may  have  had  its  origin  in  a  caricature  of 
Christina  which  Dante  had  drawn  in  1862,  as  a  skit  upon 
a  certain  phrase  used  in  a  compHmentary  critique  of  the 
Goblin  Market  volume. — In  writing  "  U.  the  R.,"  she  must 
have  meant  the  poem  Under  the  Rose:  "that  screech" 
was  seemingly  some  subsidiary  part  of  the  poem,  for  the 
poem  as  a  whole  was  not  "  suppressed  "  in  the  Prince's  Pro- 
gress volume.  Christina  acted  as  proposed  under  her 
heading  No.  3  ;  also  under  No.  4,  four  final  stanzas  being 
thus  omitted  from  The  Ghosfs  Petition. — In  Songs  in  a 
Cornfield^  the  second  song  was  originally  one  that  begins 
"  We  met  hand  to  hand "  :  this  was  cut  out,  and  another 
song  was  substituted,  beginning  "There  goes  the  swallow." 
"  We  met  hand  to  hand "  was  afterwards  published  as  the 
opening  section  of  Twilight  Night. —  TJie  Spring  Quiet,  in 
its  MS.  form  dated  1847,  consists  of  four-line  stanzas: 
later  on  a  fifth  line  had  been  added  to  each  stanza.  When 
printed  in  the  Princess  Progress  volume,  the  fifth  line  was 
deleted,  save  for  the  final  stanza.] 

81  High  Street,  Hastings. 
31  March  [1865]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — After  six  well-defined  and  several 
paroxysms  of  stamping,  foaming,  hair-uprooting,  it  seems 
time  to  assume  a  treacherous  calm :  and  in  this  (com- 
paratively) lucid  interval  I  regain  speech. 

1.  U.  the  R. — Yes,  suppress  that  "screech." 

2.  Jessie  Cameron. — Stanza  2  I  cannot  consent  to  sacri- 
fice ;  to  my  conception  of  the  plot  and  characters  it  really 
is  essential :  concede  me  that  stanza  2  with  a  good 
grace. 

3.  Bird  or  Beast. — The  last  four  lines  of  the  first  stanza 
are  (I  confess)  stupid ;  but  the  last  four  of  the  second  I 


94 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


like.  What  would  you  say  to  omitting  those  first  foui* 
altogether,  but  retaining  the  other  four  by  arranging  the 
whole  piece  in  quatrains?  If  however  this  proposal  dis- 
tresses you,  let  the  eight  go. 

4.  GJiosfs  Petition. — Please  cut  it  short,  as  you  suggest. 

5.  I  admit  the  less  simple  character  of  the  second  Song 
ifi  a  Cornfield,  and  admit  it  as  a  blemish :  a  yet  graver 
one  however  it  would  seem  to  me  to  make  one  of  a  party 
of  reapers  who  are  resting  under  the  "  burden  of  full  noon- 
day heat "  suddenly  burst  forth  with  "  Gone  were  but  the 
winter."  This  therefore  we  will,  please,  set  aside.  But 
would  you  prefer  to  fill  the  gap  with  one  of  the  two  songs 
which  I  enclose?  If  so,  your  kindness  will,  I  am  sure, 
not  shirk  pasting  it  over  the  defaulter :  unless  you  think 
said  defaulter  worth  cutting  out  and  erecting  into  an 
independent  existence,  when  it  might  figure  under  the 
cheerful  title  If  so,  or  any  other  you  like. 

6.  How  is  it  possible  that  not  only  you  recognize  No. 
I  of  Spring  Fancies,  but  resuscitate  defunct  lines  from 
memory?  The  great  original  stands  as  The  Spring  Quiet 
in  a  little  book  dated  1847;  a  little  book  so  primitive  that 
for  aught  I  know  you  did  not  drag  its  depths  for  G\oblin\ 
M[arket]  vol. :  whence  pray  do  not  deduce  that  it  con- 
tains other  treasures,  for  I  am  not  aware  that  it  does.  I 
will  send  you  an  exact  copy  of  its  primeval  form :  then 
will  you  most  kindly  set  it  right  from  the  printed  copy? 
but  suppressing  fifth  lines  and  keeping  extra  stanzas  as 
you  judge  best.  Or,  on  second  thoughts,  I  will  retain 
certain  alterations  which  I  know  are  in  the  printed  copy 
and  which  were  the  result  of  mature  reflection,  and  will 
make  the  sea-stanza  come  last,  as  you  put  it ;  but  I  must 
still  trust  to  your  kindness  to  compare  and  alter  it  by 
the  printed  copy,  in  case  I  get  a  word  here  or  there  wrong. 
Only  of  course  I  will  not  trouble  you  to  do  any  of  this 
unless  you  think  the  piece  worth  adding  to  Vol.  2. 

7.  After  all  which,  I  shall  hope  the  MS.  WILL  go  to 
Mr  Macmillan ;  but,  if  that  enterprizing  publisher  has 
been  prodding  you,  it  is  di  proprio  moto,  not  instigated 


ALEXA  WILDING,  1865 


05 


in  word  by  me.  Your  woodcuts  are  so  essential  to  my 
contentment  that  I  will  wait  a  year  for  them  if  need  is — 
though  (in  a  whisper)  six  months  would  better  please  me. 
But  perhaps  it  might  be  as  well  to  commence  printing  as 
soon  as  may  be,  in  case  that  Fata  Morgana  of  delight,  my 
sight  of  Italy  with  William,  should  by  any  manner  of 
means  come  to  pass  ;  of  course,  IF  the  proofs  could  be 
got  through  before  our  start  in  May,  it  would  be  charming. 

I  am  delighted  to  find  that  The  Shilling  Mag,  has  got 
Amor  Mundi^  and  to  foresee  Mr  Sandys  as  my  illus- 
trator. .  .  . 

I  trust  by  this  time  Atalanta  and  my  note  of  admira- 
tion have  reached  you.  .  .  .  — Your  grateful  affectionate 
Sister, 

C.  G.  R. 

I  hope  I  may  get  home  next  Thursday,  but  of  course 
must  keep  an  eye  on  the  weather.  Here  in  the  middle 
of  the  day  it  is  delightfully  sunny  and  warm.  Miss  Ingelow 
wrote  at  last  from  East  Parade ;  not  called,  because  her 
Brother  has  been  having  scarlatina.  So  precautionarily 
we  don't  visit ;  but  talk  and  shake  hands  if  we  meet,  which 
has  happened  once. 


78. — Alexa  Wilding  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[I  give  this  note  as  marking  the  date  when  Rossetti 
began  painting  from  one  of  his  most  valued  sitters,  whom 
he  had  first  met  casually  in  a  street.  Miss  Wilding's  head 
appears  in  Sibylla  Palniifera,  Veronica  Veronese,  La 
Ghirlandata,  and  several  other  paintings  and  drawings.] 

23  Warwick  Lane,  Newgate  Market. 
8  April  1865. 

Miss  Wilding  presents  her  compliments  to  Mr  Rossetti, 
and  will  feel  obliged  if  he  will  send  any  letters  to  the 
above  address,  as   she   has   obtained  her   Mamma's  per- 


96  ROSSETTI  PAPERS 

mission  to  sit  for  any  picture  after  the  specified  time  of 
three  weeks. — I  am,  Sir,  yours  respectfully, 

A.  Wilding. 

PS. — If  you  should  require  me  to  sit,  let  me  know, 
and  I  will  come  if  possible. 


79. — Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  reference  to  "  my  woful  phiz "  may  probably  be 
taken  in  immediate  connexion  with  the  proffered  Madeira, 
as  for  instance  Dante  Rossetti  may  have  observed  that 
Christina  looked  delicate,  and  would  be  all  the  better  for 
some  well-bodied  wine ;  but  there  might  be  other  explana- 
tions of  the  phrase,  not  worth  suggesting  here.  The  letter 
shows  that  Christina  had  already  become  a  patient  of  Sir 
William  Jenner,  who  continued  attending  her  henceforth 
until  he  relinquished  practice :  he  brought  her  through 
more  than  one  formidable  illness. — Rose  and  Rosemary 
appears  to  have  been  a  poem  published  anonymously  in 
Maanillan  s  Magazine.    I  have  no  precise  recollection  of  it] 

166  Albany  Street. 
l^April  1865]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, —  .  .  .  Thank  you  most  warmly  for 
the  promised  half-dozen  Madeira,  and  for  your  brotherly 
(not  critical)  consideration  of  my  woful  phiz :  but  the  half- 
dozen  (please)  you  must  let  me  with  affectionate  gratitude 
decline.  I  know,  though  you  do  not  tell  me,  that  Madeira 
has  become  an  unattainable  dainty  fit  for  the  discriminating 
palate  of  connoisseurs,  altogether  lost  on  a  Goth  who 
knows  not  wine  from  wine,  and  who  lumps  all  subtle 
distinctions  in  the  simple  definition  "nice."  Dr  Jenner 
moreover  has  always  talked  of  sherry  for  me,  so  to  sherry 
I  may  stick. 

Rose  and  Rosemary  is  a  lovely  scrap :  if  I  have  to  write 
to  Mac,  I  will  fish  for   its   author.     My  Prince^  having 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1865 


97 


dawdled  so  long  on  his  own  account,  cannot  grumble  at 
awaiting  your  pleasure ;  and  mine  too,  for  your  protecting 
woodcuts  help  me  to  face  my  small  public.  .  .  . — Your 
truly  affectionate  Sister, 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 


80.— Thomas  Carlyle  to  Madox  Brown. 

[A  characteristic  little  note,  referring  to  Brown's  Exhibi- 
tion. Many  readers  will  recollect  that  Carlyle  sat  to  Brown 
for  a  leading  figure  in  the  large  picture  named  Wor/c] 

Chelsea. 
15  April  1865. 

Dear  Sir, — Might  I  ask  you  to  put  my  Wife's  name, 
instead  of  mine,  on  the  inclosed  which  you  have  been  so 
kind  as  to  send  me.  I  have  already  been  twice  (and  she 
as  well)  to  No.  191  ;  and  feel  very  likely  to  return  :  but  the 
female  mind  seems  to  be  still  more  adventurous  in  this 
affair,  and  wishes  to  be  independent  of  me. — Yours  very 
sincerely, 

T.  Carlyle. 


81.— Christina  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossettl 

[The  names  Meggan  and  Margaret  figure  (as  readers 
may  remember)  in  the  poem  called  Maiden- Song, — The 
passage  about  "a  yell"  ("a  yell  for  fire")  occurs  near  the 
end  of  A  Royal  Princess. — The  "enormous  improvement" 
which  Dante  Gabriel  effected  in  L.E.L.  consisted  in  making 
lines  I  and  3  of  each  stanza  rhyme — which  they  do  not  in 
the  original  MS.  In  that  MS.  the  title  of  the  poem  is 
Spring.  I  presume  that  Christina  substituted  the  title 
L.E.L.  (though  not  specially  appropriate  perhaps)  in  order 

G 


98 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


to  make  the  poem  look  less  like  a  personal  utterance. — 
Margery  did  not  after  all  appear  in  the  Prince's  Progress 
volume ;  nor  (so  far  as  I  am  aware)  anywhere  before  I 
printed  it  in  Christina's  New  Poeins^  1896.  I  am  unable 
to  say  which  are  the  "  three  stanzas  "  here  referred  to. — The 
published  poem  By  the  Sea,  3  stanzas,  is  extracted  from  a 
longer  and  more  personal  poem,  6  stanzas,  named  A  Yawn. 
— The  published  poem  A  Portrait  consists  of  two  sonnets  : 
the  second  of  these  is  the  Lady  Isabella  here  mentioned  ; 
the  first,  when  it  stood  singly,  was  named  St  Elizabeth  of 
Hungary.  Lady  Isabella  (as  I  have  said  elsewhere)  was 
Lady  Isabella  Howard,  a  daughter  of  the  then  Earl  of 
Wicklow. — Alice  Macdonald,  who  set  The  Bourne  to  music, 
is  a  sister  of  Lady  Burne-Jones  :  she  married  Mr  Kipling, 
and  became  the  mother  of  Rudyard  Kipling,  and  is  herself 
of  late  known  as  a  poetess. — I  have  not  traced  any  poem  by 
Christina  under  the  title  Come  and  See.  I  presume  that  she 
refers  here  to  the  poem  headed  /  will  lift  up  mine  Eyes  mito 
the  Hills:  if  so,  Dante  Gabriel's  objection  seems  to  have 
prevailed,  for  that  poem  does  not  appear  in  the  Prince's 
Progress  volume.  Neither  does  Easter  Even  appear  there. 
—  The  Dead  City  and  Amore  e  Dovere  are  two  of  the 
poems  in  Christina's  privately-printed  Verses  of  1847. — 
The  phrase,  "  I  do  not  send  you  the  groans  herewith," 
seems  to  refer  to  some  portion  of  the  poems  which  Dante 
regarded  as  more  peculiarly  dismal  in  tone,  and  on  which 
he  had  bestowed  the  epithet  "groans."] 

45  Upper  Albany  Street. 
[1865— 

My  dear  Gabriel, — Thanks  many.  On  almost  all  points 
I  succumb  with  serenity  :  now  for  remarks. 

Meggan  and  Margaret  are,  I  suppose,  the  same  name : 
but  this  does  not  disturb  me.  Do  you  think  it  need  ? 
Meggan  was  suggested  by  Scotus  once  to  me,  and  comes 
out  of  a  Welsh  song-book.  May,  Meggan,  Margaret,  sound 
pretty  and  pleasant. 

Last  Night:  metre  slightly  doctored. 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1865 


99 


Royal  Princess. — "  Some  to  work  on  roads,"  etc.,  is  by 
so  much  one  of  the  best  stanzas  that  I  am  loth  to  sacri- 
fice it.  Is  it  so  very  like  Keats?  I  doubt  if  I  ever  read 
the  lines  in  question,  never  having  read  the  Isabella 
through,  I  do  not  fight  for  the  R.P's  heroism ;  though 
it  seems  to  me  that  the  royal  soldiers  might  yet  have 
succeeded  in  averting  roasting.  A  yell  is  one  thing,  and 
a  fait  accompli  quite  another. 

L.  E,  L. :  adopted,  your  enormous  improvement.  I  am 
glad  you  retain  my  pet  name.  .  .  . 

Margery:  has  lost  her  3  stanzas,  and  gained  thereby. 

By  the  Sea  has  superseded  A  Yawn;  for  which  how- 
ever I  retain  a  sneaking  kindness. 

Three  Nuns:  stet  be  it. 

Bird's-Eye  View :  I  have  made  three  alterations.  Was 
not  aware  of  the  inconvenient  resemblances.  .  .  . 

Following  your  advice,  I  have  copied  from  Grandpapa's 
volume  Vanity  of  Vanities,  Gone  for  Ever^  and  the  Lady 
Isabella  sonnet.  Don't  you  think  this  last  would  do  very 
well  as  sequence  to  the  one  called  A  Portrait?  But 
please  re-arrange  as  seems  well  to  you.  For  the  moment 
I  will  place  it  as  I  think. 

All  these  make-up  the  bulk  of  Goblin  Market  within  a 
few  pages.  Now  for  meek  divergence  from  your  pro- 
gramme. 

I  incline  to  reinstate  The  Bourne,  partly  because  Mac 
likes  it  and  it  is  already  in  Magazine,  partly  because  / 
like  it,  partly  because  it  has  been  set  to  music  very  prettily 
by  Alice  Macdonald.  .  .  . 

Last  of  all,  could  you  re-consider  your  verdict  on  Come 
and  See?  It  is,  to  own  the  truth,  a  special  favourite  of 
mine ;  and  seems  to  me  unlike  any  other  in  the  volume, 
or  indeed  in  G\oblin'\  M\arket\  I  have  moreover  altered 
what  you  call  the  queer  rhyme.  In  short,  I  should  like 
particularly  to  put  this  piece  in,  and  it  has  already  been 
printed  by  Mr  Shipley.  If  however  after  all  you  cannot 
bear  it,  would  you  rather  see  Easter  Even  put  back  ?  This 
is  no  particular  liking  of  my  own ;  but  Mrs  Scott  told  me 


100 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


that  Scotus  was  struck  by  it  quite  remarkably,  in  Mr 
Shipley's  volume  where  it  is.  .  .  . 

I  don't  think  we  need  this  time  resort  to  The  Dead 
City.  As  to  Aviore  e  Dovere,  it  would  surely  require 
evisceration  to  the  extent  of  v[erse]  2.  I  think  I  could 
hunt  up  one,  or  possibly  even  two,  Italian  trifles  to  go 
with  it :  yet  these  would  leave  the  Italian  element  in  such 
an  infinitesimal  minority  as  scarcely  to  justify  its  intro- 
duction. 

If  none  of  all  my  expedients  will  pass  muster  with  you, 
I  have  but  to  launch  forth  into  the  rag-and-bone  store ; 
thence,  by  main  force,  something  must  emerge. 

I  hope  after  this  vol.  (if  this  vol.  becomes  a  vol.)  people 
will  respect  my  nerves,  and  not  hint  for  a  long  long  while 
at  any  possibility  of  vol.  3.  I  am  sure  my  poor  brain 
must  lie  fallow  and  take  its  ease,  if  I  am  to  keep  up  to 
my  own  mark. 

I  do  not  send  you  the  groa?ts  herewith,  because,  if  you 
will  kindly  answer  (what  very  little  needs  an  answer),  I 
will  page  said  groans  before  consigning  them  to  your 
brotherly  hands. 

Mamma  sends  love. — Your  affectionate  Sister, 

C.  G.  R. 


82.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
18  April  1865. 

My  dear  Brown, — I've  stuck  you  down  at  the  Garrick  ; 
and,  on  considering  the  few  names  of  men  you  knew 
among  the  members,  thought  it  best  to  ask  Millais  to 
second  you,  which  he  has  done.  Personal  knowledge  is 
necessary  in  a  seconder,  or  perhaps  I  might  have  asked 
others.  But  on  the  whole  it  seemed  to  me  you  would  wish 
Millais  to  do  it,  as  a  preliminary  conciliating  link  with  him 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1865 


101 


before  meeting  him  at  the  Club,  as  you  would  be  sure  to 
do,  and  he  is  very  influential.  I  might  have  asked 
Woolner,  but  am  still  less  in  communication  with  him,  and 
of  course  he  would  have  less  influence.  Palgrave  is  not  a 
member. 

I've  begun  an  oil-picture  all  blue,  for  Gambart,  to  be 
called  The  Blue  Bozvei\  Come  and  see  it  in  a  week's 
time.  .  .  .  — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


83.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
April.] 

My  dear  Brown, — Howell  and  I  are  coming  to  see  you 
on  Tuesday  evening  if  you'll  be  in. 

I  wanted  to  say  as  follows.  I  find  that  there  is  a 
party-question  made  of  your  proposed  election  at  the 
Garrick,  and  that  on  the  whole,  according  to  my  own  im- 
pression, it  will  be  better  to  withdraw  your  name.  I  am 
very  vexed  about  this,  but  do  not  know  that  it  would 
have  been  possible  to  arrive  at  a  knowledge  of  the  danger 
by  previous  enquiry,  even  had  I  known  enough  people  in 
the  Club  to  form  a  judgment  by.  Val  Prinsep  told  me 
how  matters  stood,  he  of  course  knowing  every  one.  It 
seems  there  is  a  strong  feeling  against  independent  exhibi- 
tions, and  that  even  Frith  (who  is  fool  enough,  God  knows) 
would  never  have  got  in  but  for  the  absence  by  accident  of 
several  members  of  Committee  when  he  was  elected.  Val 
says  Hunt  would  certainly  not  be  elected.  .  .  . 

Will  you  write  me  word  whether,  on  the  whole,  you 
don't  think  it  best  to  withdraw.  Some  of  the  best  artistic 
names  in  the  Club  are  now  down  to  yours,  but  this  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  Committee. — Ever  your 

D.  G.  R. 


102 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


84.— Professor  Norton  to  William  Rossettl 

Cambridge,  Massachusetts. 
9  May  1865. 

My  dear  Sir, — Had  these  been  quiet  times,  I  should 
have  sooner  thanked  you  for  the  copy  of  your  translation 
of  the  Inferno  which  you  were  good  enough  to  send  me, 
and  which  reached  me  three  or  four  weeks  ago.  Even 
now  I  cannot  thank  you  for  it  as  I  would,  for  when  it 
first  came  I  was  too  much  engrossed  with  other  cares  and 
interests  to  give  to  it  the  thorough  attention  it  deserves, — 
and  then  Longfellow  borrowed  it  from  me,  and  still  keeps  it. 

That  you  have  made  choice  of  the  true  mode  of  render- 
ing the  poem  seems  to  me  not  doubtful.  All  the  qualities 
of  a  great  poem  can  never  be  rendered  from  one  language 
to  another.  You  remember  Don  Quixote's  excellent  com- 
parison of  a  translation  to  the  wrong  side  of  a  piece  of 
Flemish  tapestry.  A  translator  has  to  choose  between 
fidelity  to  the  spirit,  and  to  the  form.  Now,  in  the  case 
of  TJie  Divine  Comedy,  it  is  certain  that  the  form,  and  that 
part  of  the  spirit  of  the  original  which  inheres  in  the  form, 
cannot  be  successfully,  spite  of  Mr  Cayley  and  Canon 
Ford  (?),  transferred  to  another  tongue.  The  attempt  ends 
in  a  tour  de  force,  in  which  the  spirit  of  the  original 
vanishes.  The  essentially  characteristic  qualities  of  the 
poem  can  only  be  preserved  in  a  literal  unrhymed  line-for- 
line  version — its  literal  meaning,  its  simplicity,  its  strength, 
and  to  some  degree  its  beauty.  In  such  a  translation  its 
truthfulness  is  not  lost,  nor  its  depth  of  feeling  obscured. 

And  yet  the  best  translation  makes  one  who  knows  the 
original  only  feel  the  more  strongly  how  untranslatable 
it  is. 

I  shall  read  your  volume  carefully  this  summer,  and  I 
am  sure  that  I  shall  do  so  with  a  constant  sense  of 
pleasure  in  your  success  within  the  limits  of  what  is 
possible,  .  .  . 


JULIA  CAMERON,  1865 


103 


Political  interests  do  not  absorb  our  whole  attention. 
I  am  glad  to  know  that  your  sympathies  have  been  and 
are  with  us  in  our  great  struggle  for  human  rights — for 
liberty,  justice,  and  order.  Peace  is  coming  fast,  and  we 
rejoice  with  our  whole  hearts  in  the  prospect  before  us. 

Pray  give  my  kindest  remembrances  to  your  Brother, 
and  believe  me  always — Very  truly  yours, 

Charles  Eliot  Norton. 


85. — Julia  Cameron  to  William  Rossettl 

[This  letter  refers  to  Mrs  Cameron's  highly  vigorous  and 
artistic  efforts  in  the  photographic  process.  No  doubt  she 
produced  various  heads  of  Tennyson  at  one  time  or 
another.  The  one  face  spoken  of  may  possibly  be  a 
profile  which  Tennyson  himself  used  to  term  "  the  dirty 
old  monk."  He  liked  it  none  the  less,  and  so  did  most 
people — and  very  deservedly.  Or  it  may  be  that  some 
larger  and  more  strikingly  effective  head  is  in  question.] 

Little  Holland  House,  Kensington. 
13  May  [1865]. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  ...  I  have  some  things  to  show 
you  worth  your  seeing.  Amongst  others  my  last  of  Alfred 
Tennyson — a  head  which  is  the  first  representation  that 
entirely  satisfies  Mrs  Tennyson.  She  says  it  is  "a  real 
Michelangelo — a  head  made  to  rule  the  world."  It  is  in 
the  Photo  Exhibition,  and  therefore  will,  I  hope,  be 
favourably  noticed  when  the  real  artist-eye  falls  upon  it. 
Those  here  who  have  seen  it,  one  and  all,  say  it  is  by 
far  the  finest  thing  that  exists  of  him — that  it  is  as  fine  a 
poem  as  one  of  his  best  poems.  ...  —  Yours  ever  truly, 

Julia  Margaret  Cameron, 


104 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


86. — William  Rossetti — Diary. 

[This  Diary  relates  to  the  only  journey  in  which 
Christina  saw  either  Italy  or  Switzerland.  She  gloried 
beyond  measure  in  the  wonders  and  beauties  of  Nature 
in  Switzerland,  and  in  these  and  almost  everything  else  in 
Italy.  Had  she  henceforth  lived  in  Italy — with  the  one 
necessary  companionship,  that  of  our  Mother — she  would, 
I  believe,  have  been  a  much  happier  woman  than  she  was. 
But  circumstances  did  not  favour  any  such  plan,  and  she 
never  repined  for  the  lack  of  it.  The  extracts  which  I 
give  from  this  Diary  are  more  numerous  and  detailed  than 
usual,  on  the  ground  that  it  indicates  in  large  measure  the 
things  which  Christina,  as  well  as  myself,  saw  and  enjoyed. 
This  remark  does  not  apply  to  theatre-going :  Christina, 
through  some  moral  scrupulosity,  gave  up  the  theatre  when 
she  was  perhaps  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  she  never  reverted 
to  it] 

Monday,  22  May  1865. — Left  London  with  Mamma  and 
Christina  ;  to  Paris  by  Calais.  A  very  heavy  dark  morn- 
ing, with  a  little  lightning  and  thunder,  following  a 
remarkably  sultry  day  ;  but  this  cleared  up  about  the  time 
of  our  starting,  and  the  rest  of  the  day,  till  towards  dusk, 
very  fine,  with  a  most  pleasant  sea-passage.  Some  stormi- 
ness  again  as  we  neared  Paris.  Went  to  Hotel  de  Nor- 
mandie,  where  we  are  to  have  ordinary  board  and  lodging 
at  8  fr.  each  per  day.  After  dinner,  to  the  Theatre  Frangais, 
where  I  saw  the  play  which  is  the  town-talk  at  present,  Le 
Supplice  cTune  Femvie,  by  De  Girardin,  brought  into  acting- 
order  by  Dumas  Fils.  The  emotional  acting  of  Favart  is 
splendid  ;  and  the  piece  on  the  whole  is  the  only  example 
I  remember  of  the  lacrymose  moral-domestic  which  makes 
a  not  tiresome  acting  play — the  dramatic-intense  being 
combined  with  it  in  due  proportion. 

23  May. — Went  to  the  Exposition,  which  at  first  seemed 
the  worst  French  Exhibition  I  ever  saw,  but  by  degrees 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


105 


a  considerable  number  of  superior  works  are,  as  usual, 
found.  Whistler's  Princesse  du  Palais  de  Porcelaine  is  a 
triumph  of  power  in  light  colour  ;  Sellier's  Dead  Leander 
excellent,  and  not  needlessly  academic;  Manet's  Olympie 
a  most  extreme  absurdity  ;  Courbet's  Prondhon  and  Family^ 
very  curious,  and  mainly  fine ;  Tissot,  Le  Printeinps  and 
r Enlevement  \  Lambron,  Virgin  and  Child  with  birds 
hovering  about  them  ;  etc.  etc.  Looked  through  perhaps 
two-thirds  of  the  pictures,  and  a  little  elsewhere.  A  great 
storm  of  rain  with  lightning  came  on  while  we  were  at 
the  Exposition,  making  great  drenches  in  the  ground-floor 
of  garden  and  sculpture,  and  running  in  pools  and  streams 
here  and  there,  even  along  the  floors  of  the  picture-galleries. 
A  deal  of  bother  and  hanging-about  consequent  on  this 
rain  (which  continued  briskly  after  the  first  real  storm  had 
ceased),  and  the  consequent  penury  of  cabs.  .  .  . 

24  May. — Went  to  Dessoye's  Japanese  shop,  and  bought 
the  four  pieces  of  broidered  silk  for  Mrs  Dalrymple,  along 
with  two  Hokusai  books  and  two  bits  of  leather-paper 
for  myself  Nothing  here  specially  noticeable.  After  this 
M[amma]  and  C[hristina]  went  to  see  the  Heimann  children 
in  the  Boulevard  Hausmann,  and  I  returned  to  the  Ex- 
position. .  .  . 

25  May, — Went  to  the  Louvre,  where  they  have  hung 
the  portrait  by  A[ntonello]  da  Messina,  bought  at  the 
Pourtales  Sale.  The  only  other  thing  that  strikes  my 
eye  noticeably  as  new  is  a  large  Virgin  and  Child  with 
Child-angels  by  Lippo  Lippi,  not  of  his  very  best  quality — 
and  possibly  even  this  is  not  new.  Saw  among  other  things 
the  "  Etruscan "  vase  in  the  Musee  Campana  caricatured 
by  Cham,  a  woman  holding  a  pig  over  a  man's  head. 
Afterwards  to  the  Societe  d'Acclimatation,  where  I  noticed 
the  splendid  Japanese  peacocks  —  Pavo  Spicifera  —  the 
breast  being  not  sheeny  blue,  but  scaly  gold-and-green 
like  the  larger  of  the  feathers  on  the  exterior  of  the  small 
train-quills.  A  great  number  of  holiday-makers  about,  this 
being  Ascension-Day,  and  consequently  a  festa  :  very  many 
shops  shut,  including  two  Bankers  that  I  called  at  to  get 


106 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


my  circular  notes  cashed.  They  being  closed,  we  go  on 
without  the  change  to  Bale.  After  dinner,  as  dusk  was 
deepening,  went  to  look  at  the  outside  West  front  of 
Notre  Dame,  which  seems  pretty  well  finished  with  now. 
Swallows,  as  in  1861,  careering  about  and  about  at  a  great 
rate  :  they  had  all  gone  towards  8  J.  .  .  . 

26  May. — Left  Paris  in  the  morning,  taking  tickets  on 
to  Lucerne,  but  booking  luggage  only  to  Langres,  there 
to  pass  the  night.  A  splendid  day,  showing  forth,  to  more 
advantage  than  I  remember  seeing  it  before,  this  compara- 
tively tame  yet  by  no  means  unpleasant  route.  Reached 
Langres  about  2J  ;  a  tolerably  long  omnibus-drive  leading 
up  to  the  town,  which  stands  conspicuously  on  a  hill.  Hotel 
de  I'Europe,  which  seems  more  than  reasonably  comfortable. 
To  the  Cathedral,  which  has  been  originally  (or  perhaps 
only  in  part)  a  Romanesque  building  (the  remains  of  this 
chiefly  in  the  choir  and  apse) ;  then  the  construction  of 
the  nave  partly  Gothic  ;  and  the  whole  building  completed 
or  renewed  in  bare  but  not  wholly  undignified  modern 
classic — circa  1650  (?)  Seems  at  first  to  contain  hardly  any 
special  interest,  but  there  are  still  some  good  details. 
Romanesque  capitals  founded  on  the  Corinthian,  bases  of 
pillars,  friezes  round  arches,  etc.  A  good  Gothic  statue  of 
the  Virgin  ajid  Child — and  later  {ci7xa  1520?)  another 
very  pleasing,  and  a  Man  of  Sorrows.  A  series  of  bas- 
reliefs,  on  a  considerable  scale  of  size,  of  Life  of  Christ, 
done  by  some  good  Renaissance  artist  about  1550.  Two 
large  tapestries  framed  as  pictures.  Some  medallions  of 
the  old  16th-century  glass,  good.  Walked  out  on  the 
ramparts,  to  about  one  third  or  a  quarter  perhaps  of  their 
circuit.  An  extensive  amphitheatrical  view  in  gentle  swells 
and  patched  out  in  cultivation,  presenting  a  decidedly  fine 
prospect  of  good  yellow  and  green  etc.  flat  tints,  almost 
entirely  destitute  of  shade ;  the  trees  being  few,  and  hardly 
showing  their  shadows.  Many  quaint  and  picturesque  com- 
binations in  the  streets,  of  roofs,  chimneys,  house-fronts, 
etc. :  the  buildings  solid,  and  mostly  of  stone,  with  tiled 
roofs  between  brown  and  red.    The  town  seems  particu- 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


107 


larly  clean,  and  like  an  old  place  solidly  built  at  first,  and 
getting  continually  renewed  without  sinking  into  mere 
modernism — quiet,  orderly,  and  fairly  prosperous.  It  is  a 
leading  place  for  cutlery.  Fish  here  is  served  near  the 
end  of  dinner.  After  dinner  we  walked  to  the  opposite 
(left)  end  of  the  town,  where  the  ramparts  lead  into  a 
very  fine  avenue  of  trees,  with  alleys  laid  out  with  flowers 
etc.  Then  I  went  back  towards  the  centre  of  the  rampart- 
walk,  to  watch  the  sunset,  a  very  lovely  one ;  quiet  but 
rich,  giving  the  full  colour-chord  of  the  prism — blue,  fading 
into  faint  yellow,  yellow,  orange,  crimson,  purple,  and  then 
the  dense  blue  of  the  low  hills,  and  the  mysterious  greens 
of  the  landscape  nearer. 

27  May. — Revisited  the  Cathedral,  and  went  to  the 
Musee,  on  the  site  of  the  old  Church  of  St  Didier 
destroyed  at  the  Revolution.  The  tomb-chapel  of  the 
Saint  remains,  having  some  columns  with  fine  Romanesque 
capitals,  and  now  containing  many  Gallo-Roman  antiquities 
found  in  digging  for  the  citadel,  Gothic  fragments,  etc. 
Above  are  rooms  for  paintings,  ethnologic  specimens, 
natural  history,  etc.  By  no  means  a  bad  museum  on  its 
small  scale  ;  the  best  thing  perhaps  being  some  panels  of 
wood  -  carvings  of  the  Passion,  from  Switzerland,  circa 
1500,  quite  remarkable  for  talent  without  overdoing;  also 
a  very  beautiful  leather  lute-case  (?)  with  inlet  figures 
of  birds  etc.  Left  about  2^,  and  went  on  to  Bale ;  the 
weather  still  unimprovably  fine,  with  endurable  heat. 
Hotel  du  Sauvage  at  Bale. 

Sunday^  28  May. — Went  with  M[amma]  and  C[hristina] 
to  look  at  the  Cathedral  (outside,  service  going  on  inside) 
and  the  Rhine  Bridge.  .  .  .  Had  at  dinner  (the  first  time 
within  my  recollection)  kid — gigot  de  chevreuil ;  agreeable 
taste,  something  like  Welsh  mutton  with  the  dry  texture 
of  hare.  .  .  . 

29  May. — Got  £^0  circular  notes  changed  into  750 
francs.  We  then  went  again  to  the  Cathedral,  looking  into 
the  details  of  the  interior,  and  C[hristina]  and  I  going  up 
to  the  lower  parapet  for  the  view.    There  are  two  rooms 


108 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


full  of  antiquities,  casts,  etc.,  old  iron,  tapestries,  sculpture, 
etc.  etc.,  and  many  of  them  very  excellent  indeed.  Of 
the  sepulchral  monuments  in  the  Church,  one,  a  knight 
coming  third  from  the  entrance,  is  singularly  fine,  and  all 
of  them  decidedly  so,  more  or  less — also,  in  the  choir,  the 
sepulchral  monument  of  the  Wife  of  Rudolf  of  Hapsburg 
and  her  youngest  child.  Then  to  the  Museum,  in  which 
the  Holbeins  are  most  supreme,  and  several  of  the  other 
old  German  or  Flemish  masters  very  fine;  also  a  very 
fine  portrait  of  a  young  man  by  Titian.  .  .  .  Left  Bale  in 
the  afternoon,  and  went  on  to  Lucerne — a  grey,  sunless, 
and  at  times  slightly  showery,  afternoon  succeeding  con 
siderable  heat.  The  distant  Alps  mapped  out  in  snow 
which  one  sees  for  half  an  hour  or  so  before  arriving  at 
Lucerne,  are  very  fine.  I  think  I  had  on  both  my 
previous  visits  passed  this  part  of  the  journey  at  night, 
and  had  consequently  not  seen  it.  Schweizerhof,  where 
M[amma]  and  C[hristina]  have  a  fine  room  looking  out  on 
the  lake.  Strolled  a  little  about  the  lake-side  and  streets 
after  tea. 

30  May, — To  the  Cathedral,  having  two  thin,  tall,  tiled 
spires — not  a  beautiful  or  remarkable  building,  and  not 
older,  I  suppose,  in  any  part  than  1600  or  so.  Inside,  two 
elaborate  carvings  of  the  Pieta  and  Death  of  the  Virgin^ 
which  seem  to  be  very  fair  works  of  their  kind  of  about 
that  date,  but  re-gilt  and  painted  very  lately  in  such 
killing  colours  that  one  can  scarcely  say  whether  there  is 
or  not  anything  good  in  them.  The  churchyard,  forming 
a  sort  of  cloister  round  the  Cathedral,  pretty.  Towards 
the  centre  of  the  city  is  a  splendid  old  fountain  with 
armed  knights  in  niches  all  round — say  1480  to  1500. 
Crossed  the  delightful  old  wooden  bridge  with  indifferently 
painted  Dance  of  Death,  c.  1601-20.  Had  a  two  hours'  row 
on  the  lake  to  and  from  the  hotel-side.  .  .  .  Many  quaint 
details  and  combinations  in  the  streets,  and  a  good  amount 
of  Swiss  costume.  The  Cathedral  here  is  Catholic — at 
Bale  Protestant — the  chief  language  in  both  places,  German. 
Crickets  (I  suppose  they  are)  make  a  great  noise  at  night, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTl— DIARY,  1865  109 


like  a  legion  of  birds  chirping.  I  hear  as  I  write  one  or 
two  cicalas  in  the  trees  about,  there  being  a  double  row  of 
red  chestnuts  along  the  lake-side  in  front  of  the  hotel.  .  .  . 
After  dinner,  went  to  see  Thorwaldsen's  Lion,  which  is 
impressive,  though  the  expression  not  quite  up  to  the 
mark,  nor  equal  to  that  of  the  finished  model  by  himself, 
shown  in  a  little  house  hard  by.  He  himself  did  not 
work  on  the  monument,  but  a  sculptor  or  sculptors  from 
Constance.  The  last  survivor  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth's 
Guard,  a  drummer,  is  affirmed  to  have  died  in  Lucerne 
about  two  months  ago.  Also  to  see  a  collection  of  stuffed 
Alpine  animals — bears,  lynxes,  marmots,  wild  cats,  wolves, 
chamois,  owls,  lammergeyer,  eagles,  etc. :  a  most  splendid 
living  eared  owl  here,  the  local  name  for  which  is  grand-due. 
On  again  to  the  nearer  bridge ;  the  green  of  the  lake  seen 
through  its  chinks  peculiarly  beautiful  in  the  early  twilight. 
Bought  half-a-dozen  stereoscopic  prints.  A  marmot,  says  the 
woman  of  the  collection,  can  be  tamed  if  taken  young,  not 
otherwise — also  a  lynx,  but  not  a  wild  cat ;  lammergeyers 
rare.  A  gentleman  at  the  Bale  Hotel  told  me  that  a 
chamois-hunter  will  not  kill  more  than  a  dozen  or  so  now  in 
a  season. 

31  Maj/.  —  heh  Lucerne  by  the  boat  at  10  A.M.  to  Fliilen, 
whence  I  had  engaged  a  carriage  for  us  three  alone,  from 
Christen  of  Andermatt,  120  francs,  which,  it  seems,  is  a  little 
less  than  the  diligence-fare  for  three.  Ascent  of  the  glorious 
lake,  and  more  glorious  mountain  up  to  Andermatt,  which 
lies  towards  the  beginning  of  the  snow-line  at  this  time  of 
year — snow  being  here  in  tolerable  and  afterwards  in  very 
large  quantities.  The  day  fine,  but  with  comparatively  little 
sun,  especially  towards  the  later  hours.  Devil's  Bridge  very 
grand.  The  river  which  runs  all  the  distance  this  side  of 
Mount  St  Gothard  is  the  Reuss.  At  Andermatt,  which  we 
reached  towards  seven,  the  landlady  represented  to  my 
satisfaction  that  the  agreed  price,  120  francs,  was  really  too 
little  to  pay  her  as  contractor,  150  to  155  being  the  fair  sum. 
I  volunteered  to  make  it  up  to  130.  Strolled  out  in  the  early 
evening  or  late  twilight  back  on  the  road  we  had  come — very 


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solemn  and  enjoyable,  with  a  youngish  moon  and  fair  number 
of  stars. 

I  June. — Went  on  from  Andermatt  to  Eellinzona :  from 
Airolo  or  so  the  route  is  one  which,  on  both  previous 
occasions,  I  performed  by  night.  It  is  scarcely  or  not  at 
all  inferior  to  the  road  up  the  mountain  on  the  Reuss  side, 
but  runs  more  in  definite  and  tolerably  open  valleys  between 
two  walls  of  hills,  somewhat  more  bluff  and  obtuse  perhaps 
than  the  other  line,  and  with  a  less  marked  quality  of  views 
down  defiles  crowded  with  pines,  etc.  Here  the  river  is 
the  Ticino,  and  very  fine  also.  At  Faido,  where  we  dined, 
a  beautiful  cascade,  utilized  for  several  water-mills.  The 
personnel  of  the  inhabitants  changes  markedly  for  the 
better  as  soon  as  one  passes  from  the  German  to  the 
Italian  side  of  the  mountains ;  a  very  pretty,  indeed 
beautiful,  girl  at  the  Airolo  Hotel.  Arrived  about  6J  at 
Eellinzona,  which  is  a  fortified  town  of  tolerable  size  with  a 
largeish  Renaissance  Church.  Some  fine  battlemented  views 
on  entering.  Albergo  dell'  Angelo.  After  tea  strolled  out 
of  and  through  the  town.  Came  upon  a  large  open  ground- 
floor  very  dimly  lighted,  and  solid-built  like  a  chapel, 
where  were  a  score  or  so  of  women  and  girls  engaged  in 
some  such  occupation  as  stripping  vine-branches,  singing  in 
loud  chorus,  at  first  solemn-sounding  chants,  probably 
religious — then  a  livelier  strain  of  which  I  caught  the  words 
"  Viva  la  Fedeltctr  Very  picturesque  and  telling  this,  in  the 
darkest  twilight.  No  lights  in  the  streets,  not  even  oil- 
lamps  (save  for  the  still-open  shops) :  a  few  bats  flitting 
about.  Red  pigs  about  the  neighbourhood  of  the  summit 
of  St  Gothard,  like  choiropotami — one  remarkably  big  and 
high-backed,  but,  as  usual,  thin  by  the  English  standard. 
Goats,  small  sheep,  black  and  white.  A  great  dearth  of 
birds  in  all  the  higher  or  moderately  high  parts  of  the 
mountain.  The  Alpine  roses  yesterday  were  very  beautiful. 
They  are  not  roses  at  all,  but  seem  rather  in  the  way  of 
rhododendrons :  the  driver  says  they  flower  during  one 
month  only.  They  never  grow  absolutely  by  the  wayside, 
but  just  a  little  up  the  slope,  and  only  appear  in  particular 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


111 


tracts,  a  good  way  up  on  the  ascent  (as  far  as  my  experience 
here  goes). 

2  June. — Left  Bellinzona  early  in  the  morning,  and  went 
on  to  Como.  Not  far  from  B[elHnzona]  one  catches  just  a 
ghmpse  of  the  Lago  Maggiore,  and  about  the  same  time 
begins  the  ascent  (not  to  any  very  great  height)  of  Monte 
Cenere.  Further  on,  the  Lake  of  Lugano.  At  Lugano  we 
lunched,  and  went  to  see  the  Cathedral,  a  Renaissance  building 
of  no  particular  interest  within  or  without,  though  just  worth 
looking  at  when  one  has  the  time.  Reached  Como  towards 
four,  and  put  up  at  the  Albergo  d'ltalia,  just  at  the  head  of 
the  lake.  The  Cathedral  here  is  a  very  peculiar  one  in  its 
external  sculptural  decorations — two  statues  of  the  Plinys, 
four  columnar  rows  of  saints  under  niches,  etc. ;  also  a  large 
quantity  of  delicate  Renaissance  arabesques,  of  the  Certosa 
class.  The  principal  pictures  are  by  Luini  and  G[audenzio] 
Ferrari — two  or  three  in  distemper  by  the  former,  and  an  oil- 
picture  with  predella,  of  the  Virgin  and  Saint  with  the  Acts 
of  St  Jerome ;  all  fine.  There  is  also,  set  up  in  a  sort  of 
banner-like  form  in  the  nave,  a  canvas  painted  front  and 
back  with  TJie  Crucifixion  and  another  subject  by  an  un- 
identified painter,  thought  by  some  to  be  B[ernardino]  Luini : 
to  me  it  suggests  Melozzo  da  Forli  rather  than  anybody  else, 
but  this  is  a  mere  surmise.  It  is  a  fine  work,  originally 
somewhere  up  in  or  about  the  vaulting  of  the  Church,  and 
placed  recently  in  its  present  position.  Two  or  three  very 
rich  altars  of  painted  and  chiefly  gilded  wood  figure-subjects, 
in  just  about  the  right  condition  of  fading  splendour,  obscured 
but  still  rich.  All  the  painted  glass  here  is  modern,  by 
Bertini  of  Milan,  and  in  its  way  a  good  piece  of  profes- 
sionalism. After  dinner  C[hristina]  and  I  went  out  in  a  boat 
on  the  lake  for  an  hour:  the  boatman  a  good-looking 
characteristic  Italian,  who  spoke  with  great  enthusiasm  about 
Garibaldi's  achievements  hereabouts  in  1859.  Almost 
opposite  our  starting-place  is  a  not  lofty  hill  where  11,000 
Austrians  were  posted ;  upon  whom  Garibaldi  fell  suddenly 
with  3000,  and  routed  them  very  rapidly,  and  made  them 
all  clear  out  of  Como  : — this  succeeding  other  the  like  achieve- 


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ments  at  San  Fermo  and  Varese.  The  Comaschi  looked  on  in 
boats  applauding  (!).  The  boatman  speaks  very  highly  of 
Maximilian,  and  even  enthusiastically  of  Radetsky,  under 
whom  he  himself  served  in,  or  perhaps  before,  1848.  It 
seems  Radetsky  was  very  partial  to  his  Italian  and  Hungarian 
soldiers,  preferring  them  much  for  hill-service  to  Germans, 
and  very  indulgent  in  granting  furloughs  etc.  Heard  a 
nightingale  on  the  wooded  hills  overlooking  the  lake,  and 
saw  the  house  which  Queen  Caroline  used  to  occupy — also 
the  historic  tower  of  Baradello, "  del  tempo','  as  the  boatman  said, 
"  dei  Romani  e  di  Federigo  Barbarossar  *  I  asked  the  boatman 
whether  the  people  of  Como  would  like  to  be  under  the 
Austrians  again :  he  replied  no,  but  with  less  decisiveness  of 
phrase  than  similar  questions  generally  elicit. 

3  Jime. — With  M[amma]  and  C[hristina]  revisited  the 
Cathedral  ;  then  the  Broletto  (which  is  merely  an  open 
arcade),  and  the  Churches  of  San  Fedele  and  of  Sant' 
Abondio,  the  latter  out  of  Como,  being  the  ancient  Cathe- 
dral. The  exterior  of  the  apse,  with  Lombardic  sculptured 
hind-entrance,  of  San  Fedele,  is  most  ancient-looking  and 
interesting  :  in  the  much-altered  interior  the  most  memorable 
thing  is  an  old  fresco  triptych,  noted  by  me  in  Murray.-j- 
There  also  a  note  on  Sant'  Abondio,  the  external  window- 
carvings  of  which,  of  Lombardic  birds,  knot-patterns,  etc., 
are  comparable  with  anything  I  know  of  the  class.  Left 
Como  about  two  by  the  omnibus  to  Camerlata,  and  thence 
rail  to  Milan  ;  where  (the  Hotel  di  Milano  omnibus  having 
somehow  driven  off  prematurely)  we  put  up  at  the  Hotel 
Cavour,  close  to  a  new  or  altered  tract  named  the  Giardini 
Pubblici ;  wherein  are  some  animals,  including  (according  to 
the  omnibus-conductor)  lions  and  tigers,  but  all  I  see  in 
walking  about  the  place  are  antelopes  and  the  like,  suited 
for  an  Acclimatization  Society.  After  dinner  went  down 
to  the  Cathedral ;  looking  at  only  one  side  of  which,  I  see 
some  two  or  three  score  of  (as  it  seems  to  me)  entirely 

*  Of  the  period  of  the  Romans  and  Frederick  Barbarossa. 
t  The  Virgin  and  Child^  with  Saints  Roch  and  Sebastia?z — at  the 
first  altar  to  the  left  on  entering. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865  113 


new  statues,  and  new  gable  and  pinnacle  work.  The 
statues,  though  not  properly  architectural  enough,  are  works 
of  very  considerable  ability  in  the  mass,  and  tell  well 
according  to  their  scheme  of  work.  Very  great  alterations, 
especially  in  the  way  of  opening-out  streets,  are  going  on 
in  this  part  of  the  city.  I  fear  Milan  will  very  soon  have 
lost  its  fine  character  of  very  narrow  streets  of  tall  houses, 
delightfully  shadowed  and  black  in  the  intense  sun.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  4  Jime. — This  (or  I  believe  in  strictness  yester- 
day, postponed  till  to-day  as  an  ordinary  festa-day)  is  the 
Festa  dello  Statuto,  one  feature  of  which  is  the  unveiling 
of  a  statue  of  Cavour  right  opposite  our  hotel.  There  has 
also  been  a  review  etc.  in  the  Piazza  d'Armi,  and  the 
filing  of  National  Guards,  Cavalry,  Artillery,  etc.,  down  the 
Corso  Vittorio  Emmanuele  etc.  (close  to  the  South  door  of 
the  Cathedral),  which  last  I  witnessed.  But  just  about  this 
hour  deluges  of  rain,  with  lightning  and  some  thunder, 
came  down ;  the  rain  lasting,  still  soaking  enough,  down  to 
now  (ij),  much  to  the  dripping  and  dragglement  of  plumes, 
regimentals,  and  banners,  with  which  the  streets  are 
crowded,  especially  near  this  Corso.  Hundreds  of  young 
boys  in  military  training,  some  quite  children,  carrying 
their  muskets. — Went  into  San  Satiro,  an  elegant  dark 
Renaissance  Church.  The  only  work  of  art  I  saw,  of  in- 
dividual interest,  is  a  life-sized  or  more  group  of  the  Pieta 
in  gilt  and  coloured  carved  wood,  now  in  a  fine  state  of 
dimness  ;  some  dozen  figures  or  more  remarkably  life-like 
and  impressive.  Visited  the  Museo  Civico,  which  consists 
entirely  of  stuffed  animals,  preparations  for  anatomical 
study,  etc.  To  the  Churches  of  San  Bartolommeo  (nothing 
particular) — San  Marco,  the  remains  of  a  fine  Gothic  ex- 
terior ;  some  interesting  old  sculptures,  and  the  (as  I  think) 
Tintoret  noted  in  Murray.*    The   Roman  heads  and  in- 

This  work,  I  fancy,  is  not  generally  observed  by  tourists.  My 
note  upon  it  in  Murray's  Ha?tdbook  runs  as  follows  : — "  Close  to  door 
of  vestibule  a  very  curious  picture  which  must,  I  think,  be  a  Jacopo 
Tintoret.  Very  fine  in  light  and  tone,  and  to  a  great  extent  in  figures. 
Seems  to  be  a  miracle  of  Saint  Mark,  with  a  man  who  fell  down  in- 
side a  church  ;  but  subject  difficult  to  me." 

H 


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scriptions  let  into  the  arch  in  Corso  di  Porta  Nuova ;  and, 
on  its  northern  side,  the  remains  of  a  fine  Gothic  Madonna 
and  Saints.  A  Church  near  this  gate,  without  its  fagade 
finished,  has  a  painted  wood  Mater  Dolorosa,  really  striking 
of  its  class  {c.  1650?);  and,  on  the  opposite  altar,  a  similar 
Crucified  Christ,  also  worth  looking  at.  The  Madonna  del 
Carmelo ;  a  fair  Luini  fresco  of  the  Madonna  and  Child^ 
with  Saints  Sebastian  and  Roch.  Strolled  out  to  the  Piazza 
d'Armi,  whence  snowy  Alps  are  distinctly  visible  ;  and  went 
into  a  booth  where  feats  of  acrobatism  and  knife-throwing 
etc.  were  going  on.  The  Cavour  ceremony,  illuminations, 
etc.,  are  postponed  till  to-morrow  on  account  of  the  bad 
weather,  though  there  has  been  no  heavy  recurrence  of 
rain  since  2  P.M.  or  so.  I  see  there  is  here  a  Via  dei 
Fiori  Chiari,  as  well  as,  and  in  the  same  neighbourhood 
with,  the  V[ia  dei]  F[iori]  Oscuri. 

5  June. — To  the  Cathedral,  where  C[hristina]  and  I 
ascended  the  roof,  and  I  to  the  highest  point  attainable. 
It  is  a  surprising  sight,  the  forest  of  pinnacles,  statues,  etc. : 
Monte  Rosa,  M[ont]  Blanc,  Saint  Gothard,  etc.  etc.,  visible 
with  snows  amid  clouds.  To  Sant'  Ambrogio,  the  nave  of 
which  was  filled  up  with  a  framework  apparently  for 
draperies,  and  a  long  service  with  sermon  going  on,  so 
that  we  saw  next  to  nothing  beyond  the  atrium.  Back  to 
the  hotel,  and  saw  the  unveiling  of  the  Cavour  statue  by 
Prince  Humbert ;  who  is  less  ugly  than  his  photographs, 
dark,  and  dark  or  black  haired,  and  looks  as  if  he  had  a 
will  of  his  own.  To  the  Brera,  for  a  hurried  visit  before  it 
shut  at  three  ;  the  splendid  Tintoret  of  TJie  Invention  of  the 
Cross  is  back  in  its  place,  and,  I  have  little  doubt,  re- 
painted to  some  extent  as  well  as  cleaned,  though  the 
custode  says  only  the  latter.  The  Tintoret  Pieta  is  most 
noble.  There  is  one  also  by  J[ohn]  Bellini,  three  half- 
figures,  looking  to  me  quite  re-painted  all  over.  Revisited 
San  Marco,  the  vaulting  of  which  beyond  the  high  altar 
(which  I  could  not  pass)  of  a  Paradise,  with  concentric 
rows  of  nuns  and  other  Saints,  has  a  striking  effect,  fresco 
— I   suppose   Procaccini.    In   the  evening  went  about  by 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


115 


myself  (M[amma]  and  C[hristina]  in  a  carriage)  to  see  the 
illuminations ;  which  were  pretty,  but,  in  consequence  of  the 
continuance  of  heavy  showers  up  to  twilight,  much  less 
than  had  been  prepared  for.  One  street  lit  up  with 
Chinese  lanterns,  pretty :  these  elsewhere  very  rare. 

6  June. — Took  a  cab  to  see  various  places.  The  pictures 
in  the  Arcivescovado,  the  Ospedale  Maggiore,  which  we 
went  over,  Sant'  Ambrogio,  San  Vittore,  San  Lorenzo,  the 
Ambrosian  Library,  Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie,  San  Maurizio 
(a  few  notes  in  Murray).  After  dinner  walked  round  the  fine 
boulevards  with  double  row  of  trees,  chiefly  chestnuts ;  all 
the  E[astern]  outer  line  of  the  city  from  the  Giardini  to 
Porta  Romana,  and  thence  back  by  the  inner  canal-line ;  the 
Duomo  continually  in  view  from  the  boulevards.  The 
illuminations  are  renewed  under  better  auspices  of  weather 
this  evening,  and  are  very  pleasing  in  the  Giardino  (where 
alone  have  1  been  in  the  way  of  seeing  them) ;  chiefly  or 
wholly  oil  burning  in  good-sized  glasses,  white,  blue,  and 
red,  disposed  in  plant-like  clusters.  One  very  large  on  a 
sheet  of  water  produces  perhaps  as  good  effect  as  illumination 
of  an  obvious  but  tasteful  sort  is  capable  of 

7  June. — C[hristina]  suffering  in  the  feet,  M[amma]  and 
I  took  from  the  Duomo  a  cab  to  various  churches  etc.  .  .  . 
There  has  not  as  yet  been  a  single  day  of  more  than  reason- 
able heat.  .  .  . 

8  June. — Went  with  M[amma]  to  the  Palazzo  Reale, 
which  contains  from  a  dozen  to  a  score  of  framed  Luini 
frescoes  brought  from  some  other  building:  Destruction  of 
Egyptians  in  Red  Sea,  CJirist  in  the  Desert,  Vulcan's  Forge^ 
Padre  Eterno  (excellent),  etc.  etc.  One  of  them,  of  Women 
BatJiing,  is  certainly  not  inferior  to  anything  I  know  by 
Luini,  and  most  lovely  for  grace  and  purity.  .  .  .  Bust  of 
Napoleon  by  Canova,  about  thirty.  The  Royal  Chapel  is 
plain.  Napoleon  III.  slept  here  in  the  King's  bed  after 
Solferino.  The  King  comes  here  for  the  Carnival ;  Prince 
Humbert  lives  in  a  Palace  in  the  Giardini  Pubblici,  but 
passes  the  winters  in  Naples.  .  .  .  Left  Milan,  and  went  to 
the  Certosa  of  Pavia  (a  separate  station  for  the  C[ertosa],) 


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which  is  certainly  an  astounding  place  for  multiplicity  and 
finish  of  parts  and  details,  and  many  of  these  exceedingly 
beautiful — as  the  St  Sii'us  Enthroned  and  other  pictures  by 
Borgognone,  the  monuments  to  Lodovico  il  Moro  and  his 
wife,  the  Gothic  tablet  altar-piece  in  hippopotamus-ivory,  etc. 
etc.  The  convent-garden,  with  quantities  of  lilies,  and  a 
profusion  of  flowers  dispersedly  over  the  whole  space  (what 
I  have  always  said  would  be  the  best  thing),  most  lovely  ; 
and  after  this  a  larger  garden-square,  grown  chiefly  with 
corn.  Each  of  these  enclosures  is  surrounded  with  an  arcade 
covered  with  beautiful  terra-cotta  sculptures  :  the  only  pity 
is  that  one  can't  think  of  looking  them  properly  through. 
The  larger  enclosure  shows,  rising  above  the  walls  of  the 
arcade,  the  houses  of  the  monks  (some  thirty),  each  a  separate 
house  containing  four  rooms  and  a  garden-space  or  yard : 
one,  now  unoccupied,  which  I  looked  at,  was  very  charming 
in  its  deserted  and  overgrown  garden-ground. — On  to  Pavia, 
to  the  hotel  mentioned  first  by  Murray,  the  Croce  Bianca, 
which  is  a  very  dingy  and  rather  slovenly  place,  with  doors 
that  won't  shut,  grimy  floors  and  walls,  etc.  ;  in  essentials 
however  one  gets  on  reasonably.  The  whole  city,  as  far  as 
seen  this  evening,  has  an  air  of  decadence  and  neglect.  A 
wonderful  swarm  of  swallows  round  the  angle  of  the  Duomo  ; 
which  is  a  ruin  of  unfinish  outside,  but  inside,  by  this  almost 
darkness,  singularly  impressive  in  its  scale,  height,  and 
simplicity  of  space.  The  outside  contains  several  remarkable 
details  of  a  much  older  Lombardic  building,  the  present  one 
being  Renaissance.  There  is  a  tame  black  lamb  at  the  hotel 
with  white  skull-cap  and  white  tail-tip,  who  comes  about  and 
eats  sugar  etc.  from  one's  hand  like  a  dog.  The  head  waiter 
came  out  strong  in  an  impromptu  political  exposition. 
Napoleon  has  arranged  it  all  with  Victor  Emmanuel  that 
the  Italians  are  to  take  Rome  when  the  French  army  leaves. 
Victor  Emmanuel  is  merely  a  finger  on  Napoleon's  hand. 
When  they  get  Rome,  which  is  the  chiave  d Italia,^  Venetia 
will  come  also  by  occupation  or  composition.  The  Italian 
army  is  some  500,000,  the  Austrian  700,000  ;  but  the  Italians 

*  Key  of  Italy. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI- DIARY,  1865  Ul 


could  at  a  pinch  place  800,000  men  in  the  field — the 
Austrians,  with  all  their  other  difiBculties,  only  300,000.  A 
word  from  Garibaldi,  though       veccJdo,^  would  raise  200,000. 

9  June. — To  the  Duomo,  striking  also  and  satisfactory  by 
day,  though  not  so  impressive  as  at  twilight.  The  tomb  of 
St  Augustine  is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  elaborate 
Italian  Gothic  work  that  I  know.  San  Michele,  extra- 
ordinarily rich  in  Lombardic  ornamental  friezes  and  details 
within  and  without.  A  goodish  number  of  them  have  been 
re-carved,  and,  to  judge  from  the  almost  obliteration  of  some 
among  those  which  remain  untouched,  hardly  too  soon.  San 
Francesco  and  the  Carmine — both  very  fine  Gothic  brick 
churches.  San  Marino.  San  Teodoro,  8th  or  9th  century, 
but  its  antiquity  as  a  building  almost  destroyed ;  two 
interesting  series  of  14th  or  early  15th  century  frescoes, 
Acts  of  St  Theodore  and  St  Agnes.  Crossed  the  old  covered 
bridge  over  the  Ticino,  getting  a  very  agreeable  though  not 
striking  view.  Here  a  guitar-playing  dwarf,  more  like  those 
one  sees  in  Veronese,  Bonifazio,  etc.,  than  I  remember  ever 
encountering  before  ;  a  most  extraordinary  little  man,  and 
in  height  not  three  feet,  I  should  think.  The  Church  of 
Borgo  Ticino,  showing  Lombardic  remains,  and  marked  to 
show  the  point  the  river  rose  to  in  '57,  some  5  feet  or  little 
less  against  the  walls  of  the  church  itself  Pavia  is  certainly 
the  most  depressed-looking  place  I  remember  in  Italy.  Padua 
alone  could  be  named  along  with  it,  and  that  much  less 
depressed  than  this — which  is  the  more  noticeable  as  it  seems 
to  take  an  ardent  share  in  the  national  movement,  the 
Churches  containing  (no  doubt  specially  for  the  Festa  dello 
Statuto)  more  patriotic  inscriptions  etc.  to  the  King,  Louis 
Napoleon,  Cavour,  the  fallen  in  battle,  etc.,  than  I  remember 
elsewhere.  The  city  is  in  itself  interesting,  like  other  old 
places,  but  not  with  any  peculiar  amount  or  quality  of 
picturesque  detail  apart  from  the  Lombardic  churches. — On 
to  Brescia,  which  is  a  wonderful  contrast  to  Pavia ;  full  of 
open  spaces,  plenty  of  air,  clean,  bright,  and  active-looking, 
a  great  centre  of  the  silk-trade  which  pervades  the  district 

Now  old. 


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all  round.  The  journey  hither,  from  soon  before  Bergamo, 
very  beautiful  rich  foregrounds  with  mountain-backgrounds. 
Put  up  at  the  Albergo  dTtalia,  just  opposite  the  chief  Theatre. 
Walked  out  in  the  twilight,  passing  through  the  Duomo,  a 
spacious  fine  Renaissance  building,  especially  within,  as  far 
as  I  could  judge  by  this  light. 

lo  June. — The  Cicerone  here  turns  out  to  have  known 
my  father  about  185 1,  being  then  employed  by  Ferretti  *  in 
London  :  he  had  deserted  from  the  Austrian  service  in  1848 
or  '9 — name  Fighisino  or  something  of  the  sort.  Many 
demonstrations  of  satisfaction  at  discovering,  from  what  I 
said,  who  we  were :  he  also  knows  Theodoric.  He  says 
Garibaldi  uses  this  hotel  when  he  comes  to  Brescia.  He 
was  here  shortly  before  Aspromonte,  and  occupied  room 
No.  6,  which  I  thereupon  looked  at :  he  harangued  the 
people  from  the  balcony  of  my  room,  37. — To  the  Duomo 
Nuovo,  which  by  day  is  a  handsome  but  not  specially 
interesting  Renaissance  building.  The  Duomo  Vecchio, 
entered  herefrom,  a  rotunda  looking  outside  merely  like  a 
Baptistery.  Sant'  Afra  :  Titian's  Woman  taken  in  Adultery^ 
not  a  very  interesting  specimen — a  re-painted  Veronese 
of  the  Saint's  martyrdom  —  a  cleverly  conceived  Tintoret  of 
The  Transfiguration  behind  the  high  altar.  Sant'  Ales- 
sandro ;  a  fine  Angelico,  Annunciation^  with  predella  from 
life  of  the  Virgin  :  some  other  fair  pictures  of  the  second 
or  third  order.  Santa  Maria  dei  Miracoli,  a  small  church 
with  a  gracefully  sculptured  Renaissance  (early)  exterior, 
and  a  fine  Bonvicino  (a  few  notes  on  these  in  Murray).  The 
Palazzo  Municipale,  a  very  fine  early  Renaissance  building, 
with  busts  of  Roman  Emperors  etc.  The  frescoes  well 
preserved  (but  half  invisible  through  dust  etc.),  forming  a 
considerable  series  on  houses  in  the  Contrada  del  Gambero  ; 
the  story  of  Lucretia  among  others  (painted  by  Romanino 
and  Gambara) ;  about  the  most  important  set  I  remember 
preserved  on  mere  street-architecture.  The  Broletto,  fine 
old  brick  with  a  lofty  tower.     The  Museo  Patrio  of  an- 

*  This  Ferretti  was  a  Protestantizing  Italian,  Editor  of  the  Eco  di 
Savonarola. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


119 


tiquities,  including  the  famous  Greek  bronze  Victory  writing 
on  a  tablet.  This  building  is  on  the  foundation,  and  in- 
cluding the  remains,  of  a  Roman  building  termed  the 
Temple  of  Vespasian  (or  of  Hercules  dedicated  by  Ves- 
pasian) ;  and  the  entrance,  with  old  columns,  stairs,  etc.,  amid 
wildly  growing  flowers  and  vegetation,  is  very  charming. 
The  Museo  Civico,  of  paintings  ;  various  more  than  fair 
(Raphael,  Bonvicino,  G[irolamo]  dai  Libri,  etc. — a  few  notes 
in  Murray).*  Entered  the  silk-market,  whither  large  and 
small  proprietors  from  all  round  bring  their  cocoons.  The 
trade,  though  still  large,  has,  it  seems,  greatly  declined 
through  disease  in  the  silkworms  lasting  these  ten  or  twelve 
years,  and  probably  caused  by  disease  in  the  mulberry-trees 
or  gelsir  Successive  importations  of  new  Japanese  worms 
are  resorted  to  :  sulphur  might  cure  the  trees  themselves,  but 
cannot  be  used,  as  the  worms  would  refuse  to  eat.  Two 
cocoons  were  given  us  containing  the  chrysalis,  which  would, 
in  the  ordinary  course,  yield  the  moth  ;  which  forthwith  dies, 
leaving  its  seinenza''  (I  suppose  egg)  behind,  to  produce 
a  new  animal :  this  would  be  next  Spring.  I  saw  one  of 
the  moths  in  the  street — a  pretty  one,  white,  both  body 
and  wings.  After  dinner  went  up  a  street  rising  in  steps 
towards  the  Castello,  and  obtained  a  very  fine  panorama 
of  Brescia  and  the  neighbouring  hills  on  either  hand — the 
tower  of  Solferino  visible  (and  I  believe  seen  by  me)  in  the 
distance.  The  hills  hereabouts,  it  seems,  are  called  the 
Ronchi,  and  are  not  recognized  as  pertaining  to  the  Alps. 
The  Church  of  San  Pietro  in  Oliveto,  hard  by  the  Castello 
and  now  used  for  barracks,  has  outside  six  medallion  half- 
figures  of  about  half  (or  less)  life-size — all  fine,  and  the  two 
of  The  Virgin  and  Announcing  Angel  singularly  beautiful. 
In  the  Duomo  Vecchio  is  a  peculiarly  fine  piece  of  tapestry, 
placed  panel -wise  on  the  wall  whereat  the  parish-priest  sits 
when  the  bishop  officiates  :  its  design  consists  of  birds  amid 

*  One  of  these  notes  may  perhaps  be  cited.  "  Much  the  most  valuable 
oil-picture  (save  the  Raphael,  for  its  name)  I  call  a  large  Bonvicino 
(Moretto)  of  The  Supper  of  Emmaus,  with  Christ  as  a  pilgrim  :  his  best 
work  within  my  knowledge." 


120 


nOSSETTI  PAPERS 


floral  and  other  decoration — date,  I  suppose,  c.  1450-80. 
I  never  saw  anything  to  equal  it  of  its  kind,  and  hardly 
perhaps  to  class  with  it.  The  Cicerone  says  there  are 
most  magnificent  tapestries  in  some  noble  houses  (I  forget 
which)  which  Rothschild  wanted  to  buy,  but  found  they 
would  not  answer  for  any  of  his  rooms. 

Sunday^  1 1  June. —  .  .  .  After  dinner  we  went  to  the 
Giardino  Pubblico  (rather  pleasure-walk  with  trees  than 
gardens),  and  heard  the  band  of  the  Guardia  Nazionale, 
which  again,  later  on,  played  on  the  Piazza,  a  little  beyond 
our  hotel-windows.  .  .  .  We  have  not  yet  seen  even  one 
of  the  characteristic  yellow  and  orange-copper  Italian  sun- 
sets, nor  heard  more  than  mere  dribblings  of  cicalas.  The 
people  here  and  all  below  Milan  strike  me  as  less  good- 
looking  than  there,  or  higher  all  up  through  Italian  Switzer- 
land :  humps  and  other  deformities,  as  in  Bergamo,  numerous. 

12  June. — Visited  the  Campo  Santo,  somewhat  on  the 
model  of  the  Bologna  one,  and  it  appears  the  earliest  of 
all.  Some  monuments  by  Lombardi,  especially  an  angel  by 
a  tomb  awaiting  the  signal  to  sound  his  trumpet,  show  an 
understanding  of  this  class  of  art.  To  the  small  but  pretty 
garden  left  by  Count  Brussoni  (one  of  the  picture;- donors) 
to  the  city :  rife  with  lizards.  Re  -  visited  San  Nazaro 
and  San  Francesco.  One  of  the  left-hand  chapels  in  the 
latter  has  a  remarkable  series  of  intarsiature  from  the  life 
of  Christ,  some  25  to  30,  c.  1500-20,  with  many  artistic 
figures,  groups,  and  effects,  and  rich  general  colour  :  Marriage 
oj  Cana,  Descent  into  Hell,  and  Resurrection,  among  the  best. 
To  San  Clemente,  containing  the  monument  {c.  1845) 
to  II  Moretto,  and  three  or  four  of  his  best  pictures :  St 
Ursula  and  the  Virgins,  and  the  high-altar  piece  of  The 
Virgin  and  Child  in  a  festooned  baldacchino,  and  Sts. 
Clement,  Dominick,  etc.,  below,  especially  good ;  the  latter 
reputed  his  masterpiece.  —  On  to  Verona,  enjoying  the 
Lago  di  Garda  views.  At  Peschiera  I  was  called  in  to  the 
passport-official,  and  asked  whether  1  was  an  einigrato  Veneto : 
no  further  difficulty  however  was  made  as  to  visaing  my 
passport,  upon  my  saying  that  I  was  a  native  Inglese,  Jiglio 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


121 


d'un  Napoletano.^  Went  to  the  Hotel  delle  Due  Torri ;  and 
we  afterwards  walked  out  in  the  twilight  to  the  Ponte  Nuovo, 
Piazza  dell'  Erbe,  and  Scala  monuments,  and  into  the  adjoin- 
ing Church  of  Santa  Maria  Antica.  Plenty  of  air,  and  the 
weather  hitherto  has  never  been  more  than  reasonably  warm. 

13  June, — Went  to  a  few  churches  —  Sant'  Anastasia, 
San  Bernardino,  where  we  attended  the  service  for  the 
festa  of  St  Anthony  of  Padua;  very  festive,  with  some  fine 
voices  singing.  San  Zenon,  in  which  no  more  frescoes 
have  been  uncovered  since  last  year :  the  same  fine-faced 
and  enthusiastic  custode  as  last  year,  who  has  himself 
been  concerned  in  the  washing  and  uncovering  of  several 
of  the  frescoes.  Santa  Maria  della  Scala,  the  belfry  painted 
with  a  valuable  series  of  frescoes  in  compartments  of  the 
life  of  some  saint  (I  could  not  learn  who).  The  portraits  of 
two  of  the  Scalas,  spoken  of  in  Murray,  are  at  the  base  of  a 
venerated  draped  picture  of  TJie  Virgin  and  Child,  but  are 
so  covered  up  as  to  require  a  deal  of  trouble  to  uncover 
them,  not  to  be  managed  on  any  ordinary  occasion.  San 
Fermo,  in  which  also  extensive  tawdry  preparations  for 
the  Sant'  Antonio  festa  were  defacing  the  building.  The 
Scala  Monuments.  After  dinner  bought  two  or  three 
curiosities  and  photographs,  and  went  to  the  Roman  Arena, 
where  feats  of  horse-riding,  learned  dogs,  etc.,  were  going 
on,  with  a  "  Clowns  Inglese!'  The  audience  consisted  four- 
fifths  of  Austrian  soldiers,  and  merely  sprinkled  the  vast 
space  :  only  a  small  enclosed  oblong  within  the  true 
arena  was  occupied  by  the  performers.  The  Piazza  dell' 
Erbe  seems  to  me  about  the  finest  thing  I  know  in  the 
way  of  street-architecture  for  business,  not  for  monumental 
show — fine  in  itself,  and  much  more  so  when  populated, 
and  perhaps  most  of  all  towards  twilight.  Changed  our 
last  circular  notes  for  £20,  and  found  this  afternoon  that 
we  still  possess  about  £^  i  to  carry  us  home,  which  should, 
I  conceive,  be  amply  enough. 

14  June.  —  Left  Verona  in  the  morning,  bending  our 
steps  homewards   now,  and  reached   Bergamo   about  2\. 

*  Native  of  England,  son  of  a  Neapolitan. 


122 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


The  head  waiter  at  Verona  says  business  is  miserably 
bad  there  at  present,  the  past  winter  having  been  as 
unfortunate  as  could  be.  After  dining  al  fresco  at  Bergamo 
(Hotel  d' Italia)  we  went  up  to  the  Boulevards,  getting  noble 
views  on  a  splendid  afternoon,  and  I  proceeded  to  the 
Duomo,  to  inquire  as  to  the  ceremonies  of  Corpus  Domini 
to  be  performed  to-morrow.  Since  I  was  here  last  year, 
the  exterior  of  a  Baptistery,  to  be  connected  with  the 
Cathedral,  has  been  finished  or  nearly  so.  It  is  affirmed 
to  be  a  copy  of  an  ancient  one  somehow  destroyed,  with 
copies  of  the  old  external  statues  etc.  which  represent  fine 
work.  The  interior  is  still  in  progress,  to  be  finished  in 
1867;  various  interesting  13th  or  14th  century  bas-reliefs 
here,  the  originals,  but  much  re-carved  :  also  statues  similarly 
treated,  or  some  of  them  perhaps  mere  copies.  The  Morone, 
first  picture  to  the  left  on  entering  the  Duomo,  is  a  very 
fine  one. 

15  June. — Christina  not  being  very  well,  M[amma]  and 
I  went  in  a  carriage  from  the  hotel  to  see  the  ceremonies 
of  the  Corpus  Domini.  .  .  .  Went  on  to  Lecco,  Croce  di 
Malta  Hotel.  M[amma]  and  I  took  a  short  turn  by  the 
Lake  of  Como  after  dinner,  in  a  heavy  air  portending  thunder, 
of  which  a  few  claps  came  without  lightning  ;  and  a  little 
later  lightning  and  thunder  somewhat  considerable,  with 
rain.  Some  loud  reverberating  claps,  but  not  equal  to 
what  one  often  hears  in  England.  Before  the  storm  some 
fine  erfects  of  washy  broken  light  amid  the  hills.  The 
waiter  here  says  that  the  waiters,  fruit-sellers,  and  some 
other  such  classes,  in  Milan,  are  all  Swiss, — the  Milanese 
not  being  steady  or  housekeeping  enough  for  waiters. 
In  '52  he  and  all  the  Ticinese  were  turned  out  of  Lombardy 
by  the  Austrian  Government  in  retaliation  for  some  grudge, 
but  were  allowed  to  come  back  after  a  week  or  two.  Engaged 
a  fly  from  this  hotel  to  Chiavenna  for  55  francs. 

16  June. — Garibaldi  was  at  this  hotel  twice  in  or  about  '59 
during  his  anti-Austrian  campaigns  :  he  was  wont  to  dine 
in  the  courtyard  on  horseback.  His  name  in  the  visitors' 
book  got  so  continually  begged  of  the  landlord  that  he  at 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


123 


last  tore  it  out  to  keep  it  safe.  It  ran :  "  A  richiesta  d'una 
SI  graziosa  signora  non  posso  ricusare  di  scrivere  il  mio  nome 
— G.  Garibaldi "  :  *  and  indeed  six  years  ago  the  landlady 
must  have  been  decidedly  pleasing.  Went  on  to  Chiavenna 
by  the  fly — a  fine  day  with  one  moderate  shower ;  fine 
views  over  the  lake  from  the  embanked  road  along  which 
one  passes.  Olives  are  very  numerous  for  some  distance 
beyond  Lecco.  The  dust  extremely  troublesome  during 
the  latter  two-thirds  of  the  stage  up  to  Colico,  where  we 
dined.  On  to  Chiavenna,  and  left  there  again  at  1 1  P.M. 
by  the  Diligence,  the  prices  demanded  for  vettuix  being 
much  more  than  in  proportion  to  what  we  had  to  pay  on 
the  St  Gothard  route. 

17  Ju7ie. — The  lumour  of  dawn  began  to  be  apparent  very 
early  this  morning — say  about  \  \  :  everything  however  con- 
tinued merely  in  the  state  of  grey  mist  until  the  sun  was  just 
above  the  mountain-peaks,  about  — dim  and  spectral  close 
by,  and  a  blank  beyond.  The  risen  sun  cleared  away  the 
mists  very  rapidly,  and  the  early  sunlight  hours  were  beauti- 
fully clear  and  fine.  Towards  the  summit  of  the  Spliigen 
I  walked,  and  thus  about  sunrise  crossed  the  highest  point, 
marked  21 17  metres  above  sea-level.  The  Rhine  begins 
pretty  soon ;  but  continues  shallow,  though  sufficiently 
widespread,  up  to  our  stopping-place,  Coire.  .  .  .  We 
passed  Reichenau,  the  village  where  Louis  Philippe  acted  as 
schoolmaster.  Numberless  grand  views  in  coming  down  the 
mountain  (which  part  of  the  journey  I  had  done  by  night 
last  year)  ;  but  on  the  whole  my  impression  continues  that 
the  St  Gothard  route  is  the  richer  and  nobler.  Coire, 
Hotel  Lukmanier.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  18  June. — Visited  the  Catholic  Cathedral,  and 
the  pretty  little  churchyard  annexed  to  it,  whence  the  view 
(same  as  in  yesterday's  walk,  only  from  the  lower  level)  is 
delightful.  I  then  took  a  walk  ...  to  the  hills  above  the 
city  in  the  opposite  direction  from  yesterday ;  a  steep 
walk,   very  pleasant,  but   the  views  more  interrupted  by 

*  At  the  request  of  such  a  nice-looking  lady,  I  cannot  refuse  to  write 
my  name. 


124 


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near  pines,  and  less  varied  and  fine,  than  in  the  previous 
route.  Saw  here  a  brown  bird  flying  and  soaring  which 
I  am  almost  sure  must  have  been  an  eagle.  A  similar  one 
yesterday  not  far  from  the  Splugen  top.  After  dinner  went 
with  M[amma]  and  C[hristina]  to  the  Rosenhiigel  and  the 
hill-path  beyond  it,  one  of  the  noted  points  of  view  for  the 
mountains  all  round,  and  extremely  pleasant.  This  has 
been  a  cool  and  almost  chilly  day,  cloudy  for  the  most  part 
and  with  a  few  slight  showers,  yet  not  other  than  fine  on 
the  whole.  The  most  prominent  mountain  opposite  the 
salle  a  manger  at  this  hotel  is  named  Calanda. 

19  June. — A  most  brilliant  but  still  fresh  day.  Left 
Coire  for  Dachsen,  whence  (I  am  told)  the  Schaffhausen 
Falls  are  best  seen.  Passed  the  Lake  of  Wallenstadt,  and 
one  or  two  others  up  to  Wallisellen,  where  we  change 
carriages — the  scenery  at  first  being  full  of  grand  mountain- 
views,  but  for  some  little  while  before  Wallisellen  about 
the  most  level  and  ordinary  (though  still  pleasing)  which 
I  remember  in  Switzerland.     Another  stoppage  of  about 

hour  at  Winterthur,  which  we  walked  a  little  about: 
it  is  intensely  neat,  but  has  a  somniferous  influence,  con- 
taining apparently  nothing  salient.  On  to  Dachsen,  the 
scenery  continuing  comparatively  tame,  though  fine  views 
of  the  Rhine  just  before  Dachsen.  Here  got  out  of  the 
rail,  and  took  a  carriage  to  see  the  Falls  of  Schaffhausen, 
and  to  go  on  to  S[chaffhausen].  The  Falls  are  wonderful 
for  beauty  and  surprisingness :  like  the  mountain-regions, 
the  effect  is  not  to  be  calculated  or  estimated  beforehand, 
but  must  be  experienced  on  the  spot.  At  the  same  time, 
the  mere  arrangement  of  the  rocks  and  broken  bed  for 
the  river  to  fall  over  is  very  like  what  one  sees  represented, 
and  comes  so  close  up  to  one's  "  ideal "  of  such  a  scene 
as  almost  to  look  as  if  artificially  laid  out  for  the  purpose. 
The  fall  is  only  some  80  feet  altogether,  and  this  broken 
up  into  two  or  three  distinct  plunges  ;  but  the  rush  and  volume 
of  water  are  most  mighty,  and  grow  upon  one's  perception 
the  lower  and  closer  one  comes  to  see  them.  A  slight 
spray-rainbow  ;  and  between  the  two  main  lines  of  torrent 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


125 


after  the  last  tumble  of  the  river  is  a  nearly  smooth  space 
which  I  saw  a  boat  navigating,  whence  tourists  land  on 
one  of  the  rock-masses,  though,  to  see  the  rush  of  water 
on  either  side,  one  would  scarcely  think  this  possible.  One 
sees  (ordinarily)  the  Falls  from  various  points  in  the  adjoin- 
ing hotel,  and  from  its  grounds  laid  out  along  one  of  the 
lateral  rocks.  At  the  two  lowest  points  the  spray  sprinkles 
one  freely.  Red,  blue,  etc.,  glass-panes  at  one  point  to 
see  the  view  through.  Between  the  Falls  and  Schaffhausen 
one  sees  a  glorious  semicircle  of  snowy  mountains  all  along 
one  horizon — the  Jungfrau  among  them  on  a  clear  morning, 
but  not  in  the  afternoons,  though  this  is  a  very  clear  and 
bright  one.  The  greater  part  of  this  snowy  range  I  had 
taken  for  clouds  until  I  used  my  spectacles.  Schaffhausen, 
Hotel  de  la  Couronne,  a  fine  old  roomy  rambling  building, 
mostly  wood.  The  city  is  about  the  finest  I  have  seen 
for  Swiss-German  quaintness — old  roofs,  chimneys,  carvings, 
iron-work,  etc.  Two  or  three  noticeable  frescoed  houses, 
especially  those  Zum  Ritter  (Quintus  Curtius)  and  Zum 
Goldenen  Ochsen,  1579  and  1630  (?);  both  renovirt,  but 
without  by  any  means  destroying  their  original  character. 
Got  here  Vin  du  Glacier,  a  fine  white  wine  not  quite  unlike 
Madeira  (3  francs),  and  yesterday  at  Coire  a  red  wine 
named  Inferno,  also  very  palatable.  The  porter  says  that 
Napoleon  III.  bought  more  than  20,000  francs'  worth  of 
old  furniture  out  of  the  Ritter-house. 

20  June. — To-day  again  is  warm,  though  (like  all  the 
weather  we  have  had  anywhere)  considerably  below  the 
oppressive  range  of  Southern  heat.  Strolled  with  M[amma] 
about  the  principal  Schaffhausen  streets  before  leaving  there 
at  10.20.  Went  on  by  the  Bale-Freiburg-Strasburg  route, 
all  of  which  is  new  to  me.  The  country  between  Schaff- 
hausen and  Freiburg  ceases  to  be  mountainous,  though  at 
intervals  one  sees  even  snowy  mountains  at  remote  distances : 
it  is  undulating  in  gentle  knolls  and  swells  for  the  most 
part,  but  at  times  entirely  flat  unless  for  the  remote 
mountains  on  the  horizon.  One  sees  the  Rhine  the  greater 
part  of  the  way,  mostly  green  broken  with  other  tints. 


126 


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seldom  apparently  of  any  great  depth,  but  sometimes 
spreading  out  wide  with  islanded  interspaces,  which  I 
suppose  must  be  all  overflowed  in  the  wet  season.  We 
repassed  the  Schaffhausen  Fall  at  Neuhausen :  a  Httle 
farther  on,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  points  of  the  route 
is  Lauffenburg,  where  also,  it  seems,  there  is  a  Rhine-fall, 
but  not  visible  to  us.  All,  or  next  to  all,  this  route  is  in 
the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  merely  touching  Switzerland 
at  Schaffhausen  and  Bale.  Having  settled  to  go  to  Frei- 
burg rather  than  Mulhouse  en  route  to  Strasburg,  we  were 
under  the  impression  that  this  would  be  the  Swiss  Freiburg, 
containing  the  richest-toned  organ  in  the  world ;  but  it 
turns  out  to  be  the  Freiburg  in  the  Breisgau,  Baden,  in  the 
Black  Forest  district.  A  leading  hotel  at  each  place  has 
the  same  name  Zahringer  Hof,  and  it  was  only  after 
housing  ourselves  there  that  we  found  out  our  mistake. 
However,  the  route  is  correct,  and  the  city  well  worth  a 
visit.  Went  to  the  Cathedral,  with  a  striking  open-work 
spire ;  the  building,  of  light-tinted  red  sandstone  with  a 
goodish  deal  of  yellow  staining.  A  few  parts  Romanesque, 
earlier  than  Gothic,  but  chiefly  an  elaborate  German-Gothic 
building,  with  great  quantities  of  sculpture  in  the  porch, 
saints  in  niches,  grotesque  gargoyles,  etc.  —  also  nearly 
filled  with  painted  glass.  The  great  majority  of  it  is  evid- 
ently in  fact  modern,  as  traceable  in  the  method  of  leading, 
and  in  some  wrong  tints  of  purple,  red,  etc.  ;  but  it  must  be 
a  facsimile  of  the  old  designs,  and  is  in  many  respects 
interesting,  and  vivid  in  general  effect.  Many  gilt  and 
other  sculptures  here — two  in  recesses,  of  at  least  life-size, 
TJie  Last  Sitpper  and  Christ  in  the  Sepulchre,  striking, — 
the  latter  really  impressive.  One  peculiarity  of  the  interior 
is  that  entire  birch-trees  are  placed  in  pots  along  the  nave- 
pillars.  The  service  (vespers,  I  suppose)  was  all  performed 
in  German,  as  far  as  I  could  distinguish ;  certainly  the 
responses  were  so,  in  which  a  full  congregation  joined 
heartily.  Opposite  the  south  side  of  the  Cathedral  is  a 
16th-century  Gothic  building  which  I  infer  to  be  the  Town 
Hall,  low  and  small  but  characteristic,  with  coloured  statues 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI—DIARY,  1865  127 


of  Charles  V.  and  three  other  Emperors:  opposite  the 
West  entrance  an  Inn,  Zum  Geist — must  mean  Heiliger 
Geist.  Ascended  the  Ludwigshohe,  a  Httle  behind  the 
Cathedral,  and  had  a  very  beautiful  view — vines  at  my  feet 
and  my  back.  Several  interesting  details  in  the  streets  ;  the 
pavement  in  several  streets  is  particularly  good — a  mosaic 
of  small  greyish-blue  stones  with  circles  of  a  flame-wheel- 
like pattern,  in  this  grey  and  white.  A  fine  quiet  sunset, 
more  like  (though  fainter)  the  characteristic  Italian  sunset 
than  we  saw  in  Italy,  where  not  even  any  approach  to  it 
occurred  this  tour.  A  most  lovely  piece  of  tapestry  in  the 
Cathedral,  of  two  female  saints  with  the  Virgin  and  Child 
on  a  blue  flowered  ground,  c.  1450-80;  this  on  one  side, 
and  I  presume  the  other  sides  are  equally  fine,  but  they  were 
covered  by  some  other  drapery. 

21  June. — Went  to  the  Ludwigskirche,  which  seems  to 
have  been  at  one  time  a  fine  ancient  building,  but  is  now 
miserably  protestantized  outside,  and  especially  inside. 
Revisited  the  Cathedral,  and  find  there  is  a  tolerable  quan- 
tity still  of  the  original  glass,  at  any  rate  in  the  right-hand 
aisle.  The  pulpit  has  a  curious  detail—near  the  foot  of  the 
stairs  a  sculptured  half-figure  of  a  man,  c.  1500,  looking 
out  of  an  open  lattice  as  it  were,  as  if  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  congregation.  The  choir  shut  on  both  our 
visits,  but  does  not  look  as  if  it  were  more  elaborate  than 
the  nave  and  aisles.  A  skin  of  a  splendid  blue-and-green 
lizard  was  found  on  the  pavement  outside  the  Cathedral, 
handsomer  than  any  I  ever  saw  alive,  but  we  could  learn 
nothing  further  about  it.  To  the  Franciscan  Church,  where 
is  a  skeleton  (or  perhaps  model  of  one)  seated,  and  richly 
draped  in  tissue,  gilt,  etc.,  as  if  representing  King  Death, 
or  else  the  fate  of  earthly  splendour. — On  to  Strasburg, 
through  a  somewhat  tame  though  agreeable  country. 
Hotel  de  la  Maison  Rouge  at  Strasburg,  which  is  a  fine 
old  steep-roofed  city,  the  roofs  mostly  of  dark,  nearly 
neutral-coloured  tiles,  and  fine  details  here  and  there  of 
carved-wood  house-fronts  etc.  Statues  to  Kleber  and 
Gutenberg.    The  Cathedral  is  a  marvel  of  elaboration  out- 


128 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


side,  and  many  of  the  sculptures  very  clever  and  wonder- 
fully preserved,  only  a  few  of  them  appearing  to  have  been 
re-carved :  inside  more  stately  than  overcharged,  without 
side-chapels  or  any  paintings  worth  notice,  but  great 
splendour  of  painted  windows,  many  of  which  are  old, 
others  new  from  the  old  designs,  some  (not  very  many) 
merely  new.  Style  mostly  Gothic,  but  some  portions 
earlier.  The  wonderful  old  (renewed)  clock  is  quite  an 
edifice,  and  full  of  quaint  interest.  A  boy-angel  strikes 
each  quarter  :  at  the  quarter  a  figure  of  Childhood  repeats 
the  stroke,  and  walks  on,  giving  place  to  Youth ;  then  at  the 
half-hour  Youth  strikes,  Manhood  at  the  three-quarters, 
Old  Age  at  the  full-quarters  of  the  hour,  and  Death  strikes 
the  hour  itself  Scores  of  other  astronomical  etc.  peculi- 
arities. The  outside  effect  is  scarcely  equal  to  the  extra- 
ordinary real  height  of  the  Cathedral  spire,  which  reaches 
higher  than  the  Great  Pyramid,  and  a  good  deal  higher 
than  St  Paul's.  After  dinner  went  up  it  to  as  high  as  one 
is  allowed  in  lack  of  a  special  permission :  view  of  the 
city  fine,  the  landscape  nothing  very  special.  Storks 
nested  here  in  the  chimney-tops,  the  first  time  I  remember 
ever  seeing  them,  white  with  black  wing-tips  etc. ;  one  sees 
them  flying  occasionally,  but  not  walking  the  streets  as 
far  as  I  observe.  Some  thirty  nests,  says  a  man  in  the 
Cathedral ;  but  I  should  have  surmised  from  one  to  two 
hundred,  calculating  from  the  number  we  have  ourselves 
noticed.  Towards  the  end  of  August  they  migrate — it  is 
believed  to  Egypt.  Some  in  the  country  round,  which  are 
specially  housed  and  fed,  remain  all  the  year  round — those 
in  the  city  cater  for  themselves  on  toads,  frogs,  and  serpents. 
German  is  still  the  prevalent  people's-language  here,  or 
French  Germanized  to  an  extreme  in  pronunciation. 

22  June. — Went  out  before  breakfast,  and  passed  the 
church  which  contains  the  monument  to  Marshal  Saxe ; 
but  it  was  closed,  and  looks  rather  as  if  it  were  mostly  so. 
It  is  an  old  and  massive  building  with  some  painted 
windows,  and  seems  as  if  it  ought  to  contain  a  goodish 
deal  to  look  at.    Went  round  the  outside  of  the  Cathedral 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1865 


129 


(the  apse  not  accessible)  :  elaborate  sculpture  of  St  Lawrence 
on  the  Gridiron  etc.  on  the  north  transept  door ;  the  south 
transept  is  older,  and  less  florid  in  architecture  and  sculp- 
ture, the  principal  subject  being  a  remarkable  treatment 
of  The  Judgment  of  Solomon.  Went  on  to  Chalons  sur 
Marne ;  the  journey  troubled  with  dust,  but  in  other 
respects  sufficiently  agreeable.  The  country  is  thickly 
wooded  beyond  Sarrebourg,  and  a  little  further  on  there 
are  sufficient  risings  and  fallings  to  require  several  tunnels, 
one  uncommonly  long,  but  it  is  generally  level.  Vineyards 
tolerably,  not  as  yet  very,  numerous.  Attended  vespers  in 
the  Cathedral,  with  some  fine  singing,  but  a  loud  stertorous 
organ.  A  very  noble  old  Gothic  building,  the  older  parts 
Romanesque ;  very  simple  though  beautiful  inside,  and 
must  have  been  recently  renovated  throughout,  though  I 
don't  perceive  any  spoiling  of  the  interior.  A  good  deal 
of  excellent  stained  glass,  circa  1520,  and  some  modern, 
but  generally  of  a  superior  order :  the  outside  sculpture 
miserably  defaced,  I  suppose  in  the  Revolution ;  inside 
there  is  but  little  beyond  fine  capitals  of  very  various 
design.  Two  modern  iron  steeples  spoil  the  building  con- 
siderably, but  look  as  if  they  might  be  true  to  the  original 
design.  There  is  another  fine  old  church,  which  we  were 
too  late  to  get  into,  and  at  least  one  other  conspicuous 
church,  apparently  later,  which  we  only  saw  in  the  distance. 
Hotel  de  la  Cloche  d'Or  et  du  Palais  Royal  Reunis,  fairly 
old-fashioned,  close  to  the  Cathedral. 

23  June. — Went  again  to  the  Cathedral,  which  contains 
also  several  very  fine  sepulchral  slabs  ;  most  of  them  how- 
ever being  only  portions  of  the  original  full-length  figures. 
Similar,  but  less  in  number,  in  the  other  old  Church,  which 
is  named  St  Alpin,  and  contains  a  good  quantity  of  16th- 
century  glass,  some  of  it  almost  colourless,  being  large 
figure-compositions  drawn  in  light  brown,  and  with  a  little 
yellow  tinting.  Various  pictures,  of  which  two  or  three 
are  reasonable  16th-century  works:  the  best  is  dated  1551, 
"  Authore  Perot  Colet-Michel"  (if  I  read  it  right) — a  some- 
what Michelangelesque  Christ  as  Man  of  Sorrows  bearing 

I 


130 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  reed,  with  the  Donor  and  Donoress  small,  kneeling  at 
the  two  sides,  with  the  motto — 

O  vrai  Redempteur  des  humains 

Qui  pour  nous  souffris  passion, 
Je  te  requiers  a  jointes  mains 

De  mes  peches  remission. 

The  expression  and  treatment  are  very  quiet  and  pathetic, 
and  in  the  kneeling  figures  portrait-like.  The  third  church 
which  we  saw  last  night  appears  to  form  part  of  the  build- 
ings of  the  College,  and  seems  not  to  have  any  details 
of  importance.  Went  on  to  Paris,  through  a  country  less 
flat  and  monotonous  than  I  had  supposed  Champagne  to  be. 
The  vineyards  are  generally  or  always  on  ranges  of  lowish 
rounded  hills,  which  one  sees  on  both  hands  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  way,  some  growing  lower  than  I  remember  them 
anywhere  else,  and  none  of  them  high.  Passed  Varennes, 
where  Louis  XVI.  was  stopped  in  his  escape,  and  Meaux. 
Returned  to  the  Hotel  de  Normandie  in  Paris.  .  .  . 

24  June. — Went  to  the  Japanese  shop,  7  Boulevard  des 
Capucines,  and  bought  a  fair  number  of  the  small  engrav- 
ings on  crape  of  which  Whistler  had  a  selection,  but  some 
of  his  best  were  not  now  to  be  had.  The  shopkeeper,  who 
seems  passably  well-informed  on  the  subject,  says  that  a 
European,  even  were  he  to  go  to  Japan,  could  not  learn 
the  process  of  colour-printing  etc.  etc. :  all  these  matters 
are  done  in  the  City  of  the  Mikado,  and  jealously  guarded 
as  secrets  with  which  the  Tycoon  himself  must  not  meddle. 
Hokusai's  series  consists  of  30  parts,  and  no  one  in  Europe 
yet  possesses  a  perfect  copy ;  Tissot  (I  think)  comes  nearest, 
having  25.  Hokusai  died  some  hundred  years  ago  (Madame 
Dessoye  said  forty  *)....  Entered  St  Eustache,  and  saw  the 
earlier  portion  of  a  wedding.  To  the  Jardin  des  Plantes, 
which  we  began  exploring  somewhat  systematically  in  the 
animal  section ;  but,  after  looking  at  a  fair  number  of 
animals,  some  rain  came  on,  and  a  severe  storm  seemed 
to  threaten  (though  it  came  to  nothing  after  all),  and  we 

*  The  correct  date,  I  understand,  was  1849. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1865 


131 


left.  To  the  Hotel  de  Cluny,  of  which  I  looked  deliberately 
through  about  two-thirds.  The  series  of  tapestries,  circa 
1520,  of  David  and  BatJishcha,  are  most  magnificent  and 
admirable,  not  far  from  unrivalled  ;  and,  in  an  upper  room, 
still  more  beautiful  though  not  quite  so  superb,  a  set  of 
figures  (I  suppose  mainly  emblematic)  on  blue  flowered 
etc.  grounds  with  many  birds,  some  twenty  or  thirty  years 
earlier.  Of  the  pictures,  about  the  best  is  a  small  Giottesque 
one,  two  in  one  brace,  dated  1408,  of  The  Agony  iit  the 
Garden,  and  The  Maries  at  the  Empty  Sepulchre.  Entered 
for  the  first  time  the  two  Gothic  churches  in  the  Rue  St 
Martin  —  St  Merri,  and  St  Nicolas  aux  Champs  —  both 
handsome  well-built  churches,  without  having  anything 
very  memorable,  but  some  fair  pictures  of  both  the  older 
and  the  neo-Catholic  French  schools. 

25  June. — To  Notre  Dame,  where  service  was  going  on. 
The  brand-newness  of  this  once  glorious  building  is  something 
fearful  to  see  and  think  of  Every  chapel  is  gutted,  rasped, 
and  set  going  anew  in  a  mechanical  style ;  all  pictures,  old 
altar-furniture,  etc.,  removed  ;  all  the  glass  new,  and  not 
even  so  good  as  the  best  modern.  I  see  nothing  worth 
speaking  of  that  looks  tolerably  unchanged,  save  the 
sculpture-series  on  the  two  sides  of  the  choir,  and  a  Gothic 
fresco  of  The  Virgin  and  CJiild,  with  Denis  and  another 
Saint,  and  even  these  are  not  untouched.  Outside,  the 
right-hand  portal  similar ;  all  the  rest  renewed,  and  I 
suppose  this  too  will  follow.  .  .  . 

26  June. — Returned  home  by  the  Dieppe  and  Newhaven 
route :  day  dullish,  but  a  decidedly  smooth  passage,  the 
whole  travelling  not  occupying  more  than  about  twelve 
hours. 


87. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown,  Grove 
Terrace,  Highgate  Road. 

[The  picture  in  which  "  doggie  is  jealous "  is  the  one 
termed  TJie  Infants  Repast?)^ 


132 


ROSSETTJ  PAPERS 


1 6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
lo  June  1865. 

My  dear  Brown, — The  enquiring  mind  in  question  was 
not  Craven  (much  less  "  Clayton ")  but  Mitchell  of  Brad- 
ford, for  whom  I  am  doing  the  Venus.  He  was  at  mine 
yesterday,  and  expressed  an  intention  of  calling  on  you 
to-day.  There  had  been  some  talk  between  him  and  me 
of  his  calling  on  you,  once  before  when  he  was  in  town. 
He  dwelt  yesterday  with  peculiar  satisfaction  on  that 
ancient  production  of  yours  in  which  "  doggie  is  jealous  "  ; 
so  I  suppose  a  commission  of  that  kind  is  the  pleasurable 
result  most  likely  to  attend  his  visit.  If  I  had  known  you 
had  on  hand  the  one  you  speak  of,  I  would  have  smiled 
sardonically  on  his  mentioning  the  other,  and  said  that 
mad  indeed  must  be  the  man  who  could  not  pick  out  at 
a  glance  the  gem  of  the  exhibition  etc.  I  did  try-on 
the  Chaucer,  but  he  seemed  to  prefer  doggie. 

I  thought  of  writing  you  yesterday  of  his  probable 
visit,  but  shrank  before  the  recollection  of  one  or  two  false 
alarms  of  the  kind.  The  fact  is,  my  dear  fellow,  the  mad 
distance  at  which  you  choose  to  live  is  probably  ;^iooo 
out  of  your  pocket  every  year. 

I  suppose  you  will  be  this  way  sometimes  in  winding 
up  your  Piccadilly  affairs.    Look  in,  do. — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


88.— John  Ruskin  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[I  have  to  guess  at  the  date  and  some  other  particulars 
of  this  letter.  "  Lizzie  "  must  mean  a  portrait  of  Lizzie — 
perhaps  the  one  named  Regina  Cordiiiin.  Butterworth  was 
the  distinguished  architect.  "  My  Dante's  Boat "  appears 
to  be  the  subject  (from  a  celebrated  sonnet  by  Dante)  of 
the  poet,  with  Beatrice  and  friends  male  and  female, 
taking  a  pleasure-trip  in  a  boat.    Rossetti,  it  seems,  was 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1865 


133 


to  paint  this  for  Ruskin,  as  an  equivalent  for  certain 
money  advanced.  One  must  suppose  that,  in  this  relation, 
the  painting  would  be  a  water-colour  of  ordinary  dimen- 
sions. I  am  satisfied  that  the  subject  was  never  painted 
in  that  form.  My  Brother  made  an  oil-monochrome  of  it 
on  a  large  scale,  and  intended  to  carry  it  out  in  full  colour, 
but  never  did  so :  his  name  for  the  subject  was  The  Boat 
of  Love.  The  monochrome  is  now  in  the  Public  Gallery 
of  Birmingham.] 

Denmark  Hill. 
[1865.] 

My  dear  Rossetti, — What  a  goose  you  are  to  go  about 
listening  to  people's  gossip  about  me !  I  have  never  parted 
with  any  of  your  drawings  but  the  Francesca.  I  leave  the 
Golden  Water  and  Passover  at  a  Girls'  School  because  I  go 
there  often,  and  enjoy  them  more  than  if  they  were 
hanging  up  here — because  Jiere  I  dwell  on  their  faults  of 
perspective  and  such-like.  Am  I  so  mean  in  money- 
matters  that  I  should  sell  Lizzie?  You  ought  to  have 
painted  her  better,  and  known  me  better.  I'll  give  you 
her  back  any  day  that  you're  a  good  boy,  but  it  will  be  a 
long  while  before  that  comes  to  pass. 

You  scratched  the  eyes  out  of  my  Laiincelot^  and  I 
gave  that  to  Butterworth — that  was  not  my  fault.  If  you 
could  do  my  Dante's  Boat  for  me  instead  of  money,  I 
should  like  it — but  I  don't  believe  you  can.  So  do  as 
you  like  when  you  like. — Ever  yours  affectionately, 

J.  Ruskin. 


89,— John  Ruskin  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  (or  the  preceding  one)  marks  the  com- 
mencement of  the  unfortunate  estrangement  between 
Ruskin  and  Rossetti.  I  say  estrangement,  because,  though 
a  large  residuum  of  mutual  affection  and  regard  remained, 


134 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


they  from  this  time  forward  almost  ceased  to  seek  oppor- 
tunities for  seeing  one  another.  Ruskin  had  now  seen, 
and  (as  he  says)  "  disliked,"  the  picture  which  Rossetti 
was  painting ;  properly  termed  Venus  Verticordia^  though 
Ruskin  calls  it  "  Flora."  One  might  surmise  that  Rossetti 
did  not  quite  like  this  misnomer,  as  indicating  that  his 
censor  did  not  care  to  understand  what  the  picture  was 
really  about.  Millais's  picture,  which  he  mentions  in  the 
same  connexion,  The  Romans  leaving  Britain,  was  exhibited 
in  1865.  I  am  not  certain  what  is  the  proper  name  for 
"  the  golden  girl  with  black  guitar."] 

Denmark  Hill. 
[1865.] 

Dear  Rossetti, — It  is  all  right — do  not  come  till  you 
are  quite  happy  in  coming  —  but  do  not  think  /  am 
changed.  I  like  your  old  work  as  much  as  ever.  I 
framed  (only  the  other  day)  the  golden  girl  with  black 
guitar  —  and  I  admire  all  the  old  water  -  colours  just  as 
much  as  when  they  w^ere  first  done.  I  admire  Titian  and 
Tintoret — and  Angelico — ^just  as  I  used  to  do,  and  for  the 
same  reasons.  The  change  in  you  may  be  right  —  or 
towards  right — but  it  is  in  you — not  in  me.  It  may  not 
be  change,  but  only  the  coming-out  of  a  new  element. 
But  Millais  might  as  well  say  I  was  changed  because  I 
detest  the  mode  of  painting  the  background  and  ground 
in  his  Roman  soldier,  while  I  praised  and  still  praise 
Mariana  and  the  Huguenot^  as  you  say  that  /  was  changed 
because  I  praised  the  cart-and-bridge  picture  and  dislike 
the  Flora. 

It  is  true  that  I  am  now  wholly  intolerant  of  what  I 
once  forgivingly  disliked — bad  perspective  and  such-like — 
for  I  look  upon  them  as  moral  insolences  and  iniquities 
in  any  painter  of  average  power ;  but  I  am  only  more 
intensely  now  what  I  always  was  (since  yon  knew  me), 
and  am  more  intensely,  in  spite  of  perspective  indignation, 
— Yours  affectionately, 

J.  Ruskin. 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1865 


135 


90.— John  RUvSKIn  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

Denmark  Hill. 
[1865.] 

My  dear  Rossetti, — It  is  very  good  and  pretty  of  you 
to  answer  so.  I  have  little  time  this  morning,  but  will 
answer  at  once  so  far  as  regards  what  you  say  you  wish 
me  to  tell  you. 

There  are  two  methods  of  laying  oil-colour  which  can 
be  proved  right,  each  for  its  purposes — Van  Eyck's  (or 
Holbein's)  and  Titian's  (or  Correggio's) :  one  of  them 
involving  no  display  of  power  of  hand,  the  other  in- 
volving it  essentially  and  as  an  element  of  its  beauty. 
Which  of  these  styles  you  adopt  I  do  not  care.  I 
supposed,  in  old  times,  you  were  going  to  try  to  paint 
like  that  Van  Eyck  in  the  National  Gallery  with  the  man 
and  woman  and  mirror.  If  you  say,  "No — I  mean  rather 
to  paint  like  Correggio " — by  all  means,  so  much  the 
better — but  you  are  not  on  the  way  to  Correggio.  And 
you  are,  it  seems,  under  the  (for  the  present)  fatal  mis- 
take of  thinking  that  you  will  ever  learn  to  paint  well 
by  painting  badly,  i.e.,  coarsely. 

At  present  you  lay  your  colour  ill,  and  you  will  only 
learn,  by  doing  so,  to  lay  it  worse.  No  great  painter  ever 
allowed  himself,  in  the  smallest  touch,  to  paint  ill,  i.e.,  to 
daub  or  smear  his  paint.  What  he  could  not  paint  easily 
he  would  not  paint  at  all — and  gained  gradual  power  by 
never  in  the  smallest  thing  doing  wrong. 

1.  You  may  say  you  like  coarse  painting  better  than 
Correggio's,  and  that  it  is  righter.  To  this  I  should  make 
no  answer — knowing  answer  to  be  vain. 

2.  If  you  say  you  do  not  see  the  difference,  again  I 
only  answer — I  am  sorry.    Nothing  more  is  to  be  said. 

3.  If  you  say,  "  I  see  the  difference  and  mean  to  do 
better,  and  am  on  the  way  to  do  better,"  I  answer  I  know 
you  are  not  on  the  way  to  do  better,  and  I  cannot  bear 


136 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  pain  of  seeing  you  at  work  as  you  are  working  now. 
But  come  back  to  me  when  you  have  found  out  your 
mistake — or  (if  you  are  right  in  your  method)  when  you 
can  do  better. 

All  this  refers  only  to  laying  of  paint. 

I  have  two  distinct  other  counts  against  you :  your 
method  of  study  of  chiaroscuro ;  and  your  permission  of 
modification  of  minor  truths  for  sensational  purposes. 

I  will  see  what  you  say  to  this  first  count  before  I 
pass  to  the  others. 

I  am  very  glad,  at  all  events,  to  understand  you  better 
than  I  did,  in  the  grace  and  sweetness  of  your  letters. — 
Ever  affectionately  yours, 

J.  RUSKIN. 

91. — John  Ruskin  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[It  would  appear  that,  between  the  dates  of  Ruskin's 
last  letter  and  of  this  one,  Rossetti  must  have  reminded 
him  by  letter  that  he  had,  at  some  previous  date,  said  by 
word  of  mouth  that  the  flowers  (roses  and  honeysuckles) 
in  the  V enus  Verticordia  were  "  wonderfully "  painted. 
After  replying  on  this  point  Ruskin  proceeds  to  make 
some  rather  strong  observations.  The  person  whom  he 
calls  "  a  mere  blackguard "  was  the  highly-reputed  photo- 
grapher Mr  Downey,  who  took  about  this  time  some 
photographs  of  Rossetti.  In  one  of  these  Ruskin  posed 
along  with  Rossetti :  but  the  photograph  which  he  terms 
"a  visible  libel"  was  (I  take  it)  a  different  one,  repre- 
senting Ruskin  (alone)  seated,  and  leaning  on  a  walking- 
stick.  It  went  all  over  the  country  at  the  time ;  and  (if 
I  may  trust  my  own  opinion)  was  a  good  though  not  an 
advantageous  likeness.] 

Denmark  Hill. 
[1865.] 

Dear  Rossetti,  —  You  know  exactly  as  much  about 
Correggio  as  I  knew  in  the  year  1845,  ^^'^'^  ^^^^  exactly 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1865 


137 


as  I  did  then.  I  can't  give  you  the  results  of  twenty 
years'  work  upon  him  in  a  letter,  so  I  say  no  more. 

I  purposely  joined  him  with  Titian  to  poke  you  up. 
I  purposely  used  the  word  "  wonderfully "  painted  about 
those  flowers.  They  were  wonderful  to  me,  in  their 
realism  ;  awful — I  can  use  no  other  word — in  their  coarse- 
ness :  showing  enormous  power ;  showing  certain  conditions 
of  non  -  sentiment  which  underlie  all  you  are  doing — 
now.  .  .  . 

You  take  upon  you,  for  your  own  interest,  to  judge 
to  whom  I  should  and  should  not  give  or  lend  your  draw- 
ings. In  your  interest  only — and  judging  from  no  other 
person's  sayings,  but  from  my  own  sight — I  tell  you  the 
people  you  associate  with  are  ruining  you.  But  remember 
I  have  personally  some  right  to  say  this — for  the  entirely 
blameable  introduction  you  gave  to  a  mere  blackguard,  to 
me,  has  been  the  cause  of  such  a  visible  libel  upon  me 
going  about  England  as  I  hold  worse  than  all  the  scandals 
and  lies  ever  uttered  about  me.  But,  if  there  is  anything 
in  my  saying  this  which  you  feel  either  cruel  or  insolent, 
again  I  ask  your  pardon. 

Come  and  see  me  7iow,  if  you  like.  I  have  said  all  I 
wish  to  say,  and  can  be  open — which  is  all  I  need  for  my 
comfort.  I  have  many  things  here  you  might  like  to  see 
and  talk  over. — Ever  affectionately  yours, 

J.  RUSKIN. 


92.— John  Ruskin  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

Denmark  Hill. 
[1865.] 

Dear  Rossetti, —  I  am  also  very  thankful  these  letters 
have  been  written — we  shall  both  care  more  for  each  other. 
Please  come  now  the  first  fine  evening — tea  at  seven.  I 
will  stay  in  till  you  do  come,  so  you  will  be  sure  of  me. 

Before  I  see  you,  let  me  at  once  put  an  end  to  your 


138 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


calling  me,  whatever  you  may  think  (much  more,  any 
supposing  that  I  think  myself),  a  "great  man."  It  is  just 
because  I  honestly  know  I  am  not  that  I  speak  so  posi- 
tively on  other  known  things.  I  entirely  scorn  all  my  own 
capacities,  except  the  sense  of  visible  beauty,  which  is  a 
useful  gift — not  a  "greatness."  But  I  have  worked  at  cer- 
tain things  which  I  know  that  I  know,  as  I  do  spelling. 

I  never  said  you  were  not  in  a  position  and  at  an 
age  to  know  more  of  Correggio  than  I  did  in  '45.  1  said 
simply  you  did  know  no  more  of  him.  But  your  practice 
of  painting  in  a  different  manner  has  been  dead  against 
you — it  is  much  to  allow  for  you  that  you  know  as  much 
of  him  as  I  did  then.  You  hardly  do,  for  I  then  knew 
something  of  his  glorious  system  of  fresco-colour — which 
you  very  visibly  do  not ;  and  had  gathered  a  series  of 
data  and  notes  at  the  risk  of  my  life  on  the  rotten  tiles 
of  the  Parma  dome,  with  a  view  of  "writing  Correggio 
down."  It  was  one  of  the  few  pieces  of  Providence  I  am 
thankful  for  in  my  past  life  that  I  did  not  then  write  a 
separate  book  against  Correggio.  I  know  exactly  how 
you  feel  to  him,  and  would  no  more  dispute  about  it  than 
I  would  with  Gainsborough  for  knowing  nothing  about 
Albert  Durer,  or  saying  he,  A.D.,  drew  nothing  but  women 
with  big  bellies. 

But  we  won't  have  rows ;  and,  when  you  come,  we'll 
look  at  things  that  we  both  like.  You  shall  bar  Parma, 
and  I,  Japan  ;  and  we'll  look  at  Titian,  John  Bellini,  Albert 
Durer,  and  Edward  Jones ;  and  I'll  say  no  more  about 
the  red-eyed  man  and  the  phot[ograph]s.  —  Ever  your 
affectionate 

J.  RUSKIN. 


93.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  picture  by  Brown  bought  in  at  ;^550  was  the 
large  painting  named  Work.    By  Rossetti  there  were  five 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1865 


139 


specimens  in  the  Flint  sale.  Only  one,  Burd-alane,  was  an 
oil-picture,  and  to  this  he  appears  to  refer.] 

i6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[26  June  1865.] 

My  dear  Brown, — I  have  been  very  anxious  about  your 
affairs  since  seeing  you.  .  .  . 

Gambart  was  here  just  now,  and  it  seems  things  were 
desperate  indeed  at  the  Flint  Sale.  Brett's  ^^420  Chepstow 
Castle  fetched  £20 ;  Wallis's  Marston  Moor  came  down 
from  £2^0  to  £6o\  and  Hughes's  Belle  Dame  from  the 
same  to  ^30.  So  your  being  bought  in  at  ;^550,  and  my 
;^84  picture  fetching  ^^71,  were  the  triumphs  of  the  sale. 
It  seems  Gambart  has  bought  all  the  above  except  yours 
and  mine.  He  went  to  70,  he  says,  for  mine,  but  some 
one  else  bid  71.  He  sent  an  agent  to  buy  the  lot,  and 
evidently  rather  chuckles,  the  Flint  people  having  become 
betes  noires''  with  him.  Indeed,  I  dare  say  the  unlucky 
issue  has  been  partly  of  his  managing. 

Let  me  hear  from  you. — Ever  your 

D.  G.  R. 


94. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Mauox  Brown. 

[Rossetti's  water-colours  Nos.  i,  2,  and  3,  are  (I  sup- 
pose) Hesterna  Rosa,  Aurora,  and  Washing  Hands.  I  have 
no  clear  idea  as  to  the  two  water-colours  by  Brown  here 
in  question  ;  possibly  ElijaJi  and  the  Widow's  Son  (now  in 
South  Kensington)  may  have  been  one  of  them.  "  The 
Opera-box  design "  was  presumably  a  pretty  little  water- 
colour  of  Mrs  Madox  Brown  in  an  opera-box.  It  was 
named  At  the  Opera,  or  Les  Huguenots ;  and  remained  in 
Brown's  possession  (intentionally  retained,  it  may  be,  as 
a  family-portrait)  up  to  his  death. — Rossetti's  F.S.  was — 
it  will  be  perceived — disregarded  by  Brown :  neither  of 
the  men  was  punctilious  in  that  respect.] 


140 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


1 6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
28  Jmie  1865. 

My  dear  Brown, — I  was  much  relieved  by  some  of  the 
contents  of  your  letter,  which  I  have  destroyed. 

To  give  you  some  data  about  Craven,  I  will  tell  you 
my  transactions  with  him. 

(1)  An  extremely  careful  drawing  with  five  figures 
(about  10  by  15  inches  I  should  think)  for  which,  by  pre- 
vious agreement,  I  charged  him  125  guineas,  but  let  him 
understand  thoroughly  that  the  price  would  have  been 
higher  but  for  the  engagement. 

(2)  A  drawing,  17  x  14:5,  of  a  woman  (half-figure),  less 
finished,  for  which  he  paid  me  100  guineas. 

(3)  A  drawing  just  begun  as  companion  to  the  above, 
same  size,  but  which  I  shall  do  throughout  from  nature 
and  which  has  two  figures.  For  this  I  shall  charge  1 50 
guineas. 

(4)  A  commission  for  a  large  drawing  not  yet  begun 
nor  price  fixed. 

F'or  No.  I  I  received  the  price  only  after  it  was 
finished  ! 

For  No.  2  the  whole  price,  by  request,  a  day  or  two 
before  sending  it  home. 

For  No.  3  I  have  received  on  commencement  £^0  on 
account. 

For  No.  4  nothing  as  yet !  !  ! 

Craven  is  a  very  good  paymaster  and  not  a  haggler  at 
all — a  grave,  and  (let  us  say  in  a  whisper)  rather  stupid, 
enthusiast,  of  the  inarticulate  business-type,  with  a  mystic 
reverence  for  the  English  Water-colour  school,  D.  Cox, 
Hunt,  etc.  Besides  this,  I  think  a  thoroughly  good  fellow. 
Not  a  very  rich  man,  I  should  fancy. 

I  think  on  the  whole  your  best  plan  will  be  to  ask  for 
this  drawing  the  same  as  for  the  other,  viz. :  1 20  guineas, 
or  say  perhaps  125.  Though  with  fewer  figures  than  the 
one  proposed,  it  is  larger  (is  it  not  ?)  and  moreover  a  new 
thing  instead  of  a  duplicate.    My  1 50-guinea  one  has  two 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1865  141 

figures.  Couldn't  you  work  up  the  Opera-box  design  ?  .  .  . 
— Ever  yours, 

D.  G.  R. 

.  .  .  P.S. — Please  burn  this  after  use. 


95. — John  Ruskin  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[This  remarkable  letter  brought  to  a  close  the  inter- 
change of  views  which  had  just  now  been  going  on  between 
Ruskin  and  Rossetti :  from  this  time  forward  they  met 
hardly  at  all,  and  corresponded  but  very  little.  The  letter 
bore  at  first  a  date  of  the  day  of  the  month — seemingly 
18:  but  this  was  cancelled  by  the  writer  and  a  ?  substi- 
tuted. Towards  the  middle  of  the  letter  Mr  Ruskin  speaks 
of  "this  affair  of  the  drawings."  I  understand  him  to 
mean  the  question  which  Rossetti  had  raised  as  to  the 
mode  (see  No.  88)  in  which  Ruskin  disposed  of  some  of 
Rossetti's  old  water  -  colours ;  or  perhaps  the  point  is  the 
preceding  suggestion  that  Rossetti  might  paint  T/ie  Boat 
of  Love,  followed,  as  it  probably  was,  by  some  demur  on  the 
artist's  part,  or  else  the  point  at  the  top  of  p.  143. — I  am  not 
wholly  sure  which  was  the  "last  picture"  of  a  different 
painter  of  which  Ruskin  entertained  so  bad  an  opinion. 
I  give  the  initial  G,  but  this  is  not  correct]. 

Denmark  Hill. 
?  July  1865. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for  this 
letter,  and  for  the  feelings  it  expresses  towards  me.  I  was 
not  angry,  and  there  was  nothing  in  your  note  that 
needed  your  asking  my  pardon.  You  meant  them — the 
first  and  second — just  as  rightly  as  this  pretty  third  :  and 
yet  they  conclusively  showed  me  that  we  could  not  at 
present,  nor  for  some  time  yet,  be  companions  any  more, 
though  true  friends,  I  hope,  as  ever. 

I  am  grateful  for  your  love — but  yet  I  do  not  want 


142 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


love.  I  have  had  boundless  love  from  man)^  people  during 
my  life.  And  in  more  than  one  case  that  love  has  been 
my  greatest  calamity — I  have  boundlessly  suffered  from  it. 
But  the  thing,  in  any  helpful  degree,  I  have  never  been 
able  to  get,  except  from  two  women  of  whom  I  never  see 
the  only  one  I  care  for,  and  from  Edward  Jones,  is 
"  understanding." 

I  am  nearly  sick  of  being  loved — as  of  being  hated — 
for  my  lovers  understand  me  as  little  as  my  haters.  I  had 
rather  in  fact  be  disliked  by  a  man  who  somewhat  under- 
stood me  than  much  loved  by  a  man  who  understood 
nothing  of  me. 

Now  I  am  at  present  out  of  health  and  irritable,  and 
entirely  resolved  to  make  myself  as  comfortable  as  I  can, 
and  therefore  to  associate  only  with  people  who  in  some 
degree  think  of  me  as  I  think  of  myself.  I  may  be  wrong 
in  saying  I  am  this  or  that — but  at  present  I  can  only 
live  or  speak  with  people  who  agree  with  me  that  I  am 
this  or  that.  And  there  are  some  things  which  I  know  I 
know  or  can  do,  just  as  well  as  a  man  knows  he  can  ride 
or  swim,  or  knows  the  facts  of  such  and  such  a  science. 

Now  there  are  many  things  in  which  I  always  have 
acknowledged  and  shall  acknowledge  your  superiority  to 
me.  I  know  it — as  well  as  I  know  that  St  Paul's  is  higher 
than  I  am.  There  are  other  things  in  which  I  just  as 
simply  know  that  /  am  superior  to  you. 

Now  in  old  times  I  did  not  care  two  straws  whether 
you  knew  or  acknowledged  in  what  I  was  superior  to  you, 
or  not.  I  don't  mean  in  writing.  You  write,  as  you  paint, 
better  than  I.  I  could  never  have  written  a  stanza  like 
you.  But  now  (being,  as  I  say,  irritable  and  ill)  I  do  care, 
and  I  will  associate  with  no  man  who  does  not  more  or 
less  accept  my  own  estimate  of  myself.  For  instance, 
Brett  told  me,  a  year  ago,  that  a  statement  of  mine 
respecting  a  scientific  matter  (which  I  knew  a  fond  before 
he  was  born)  was  "  bosh."  I  told  him  in  return  he  was  a 
fool ;  he  left  the  house,  and  I  will  not  see  him  again 
"  until  he  is  wiser." 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1865 


143 


Now  you  in  the  same  manner  tell  me  "  the  faults  in 
your  drawings  are  not  greater  than  those  I  put  up  with 
in  what  is  about  me,"  and  that  one  of  my  assistants  is  a 
"  mistakenly  transplanted  carpenter."  And  I  answer — not 
that  you  are  a  fool,  because  no  man  is  that  who  can  design 
as  you  can — but  simply  that  you  know  nothijig  of  me,  nor 
of  my  knowledge — nor  of  my  thoughts — nor  of  the  sort  of 
grasp  of  things  I  have  in  directions  in  which  you  arc 
utterly  powerless ;  and  that  I  do  not  choose  any  more  to 
talk  to  you  until  you  can  recognize  my  superiorities  as  / 
can  yours. 

And  this  recognition,  observe,  is  not  a  matter  of  will  or 
courtesy.  You  simply  do  not  see  certain  characters  in  me, 
and  cannot  see  them  :  still  less  could  you  (or  should  I  ask 
you  to)  pretend  to  see  them.  A  day  may  come  when  you 
will  be  able.  Then — without  apology — without  restraint — 
merely  as  being  different  from  what  you  are  now — come 
back  to  me,  and  we  will  be  as  we  used  to  be.  It  is  not 
this  affair  of  the  drawings — not  this  sentence — but  the 
ways  and  thoughts  I  have  seen  in  you  ever  since  I  knew 
you,  coupled  with  this  change  of  health  in  myself,  which 
render  this  necessary — complicated  also  by  a  change  in 
your  own  methods  of  work  with  which  I  have  no  sympathy, 
and  which  renders  it  impossible  for  me  to  give  you  the 
kind  of  praise  which  would  give  you  pleasure. 

There  are  some  things  in  which  I  know  your  present 
work  to  be  wrong:  others  in  which  I  strongly  feel  it  so. 
I  cannot  conquer  the  feeling,  though  I  do  not  allege  that 
as  a  proof  of  the  wrongness.  The  points  of  knowledge  I 
could  not  establish  to  you,  any  more  than  I  could  teach 
you  mineralogy  or  botany,  without  some  hard  work  on 
your  part,  in  directions  in  which  it  is  little  likely  you  will 
ever  give  it.  It  is  of  course  useless  for  me,  under  such 
circumstances,  to  talk  to  you. 

The  one  essential  thing  is  that  you  should  feel  (and 
you  will  do  me  a  bitter  injustice  if  you  do  7iot  feel  this) 
that,  though  you  cannot  now  refer  to  me  as  in  any  way 
helpful  to  you  by  expression  of  judgment  to  the  public, 


144 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


my  inability  is  no  result  of  any  offence  taken  with  you. 
I  would  give  much  to  see  you  doing  as  you  have  done — 
and  to  be  able  to  say  what  I  once  said. 

With  respect  to  G.,  the  relation  between  us  is  far  more 
hopeless.  His  last  picture  is  to  me  such  an  accursed  and 
entirely  damnable  piece  of  work  that  I  believe  I  have 
been  from  the  beginning  wrong  in  attributing  any  essential 
painter's  power  to  him  whatever,  and  that  the  high  imita- 
tive results  he  used  to  obtain  were  merely  accidental 
consequences  of  a  slavish  industry  and  intensely  ambitious 
conscientiousness.  I  think  so  ill  of  it  that  I  cannot  write 
a  word  to  him — though  otherwise  I  should  have  felt  it  my 
duty  to  warn  Jiivi^  before  I  spoke  to  others.  I  cannot,  of 
course,  allow  such  work  to  pass  as  representing  what  I 
used  to  praise,  but  I  speak  of  it,  as  I  do  at  present  of 
yours,  as  little  as  I  can.  For  you,  there  is  all  probability 
of  recovery :  of  him  I  am  hopeless. — Ever  affectionately 
yours, 

J.  RUSKIN. 


96. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Walter  Dunlop,  Bingley. 

[Mr  John  Aldam  Heaton  was  an  acquaintance  of  Mr 
Dunlop,  and  had  been  in  some  way  mixed  up  in  the 
starting  of  the  commission  offered  by  the  latter  to  Rossetti 
in  1 864  for  The  Magdalene  at  the  Door  of  Simon  the  Pharisee. 
As  Rossetti  did  not  relish  a  letter  which  he  had  recently 
received  from  Mr  Dunlop,  he  appears  to  have  submitted 
it  to  Mr  Heaton.  I  possess  the  letter  in  question  from 
Mr  Dunlop,  and  other  letters  from  him,  and  also  from 
Mr  John  Heugh,  who  was  concerned  in  correspondence 
of  a  similar  kind.  Naturally  I  have  no  authority  from 
these  gentlemen  or  their  representatives  to  print  the  letters, 
and  so  I  leave  them  sub  silentio.  Rossetti  resented  them  ; 
and  I  will  take  it  upon  me  to  say  that  other  people  in  his 
position  would  have  resented  them  as  well.     Mr  Heaton, 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1865 


145 


in  replying  to  my  Brother,  enclosed  a  letter,  of  his  com- 
position, which  he  advised  Rossetti  to  adopt  and  forward 
to  Mr  Dunlop.  Rossetti  did  so,  making  (so  far  as  I  can 
judge)  no  change  of  any  importance :  this  forms  the  letter 
signed  by  my  Brother,  next  ensuing.] 

[Cheyne  Walk. 
1865—?  7  August.'] 

Sir, — I  am  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  the  full  meaning 
of  your  letter.  If  a  long  time  has  elapsed  since  the  subject  of 
your  commission  to  me  was  last  discussed,  I  would  suggest 
that  the  delay  lies  entirely  at  your  door.  You  gave  me, 
after  considerable  correspondence  and  more  than  one  lengthy 
interview,  a  definite  commission  for  a  picture  at  £2100,  and 
how  so  important  a  matter  could  escape  your  memory  even 
for  a  single  week  is  quite  a  puzzle  to  me. 

You  yourself  mentioned  more  than  once  (both  by  word 
and  by  letter  dated  20th  May  1864)  that  you  would  wish 
to  make  me  certain  prepayments  on  account,  in  order  that 
I  might  feel  fully  at  liberty  to  give  my  whole  attention  to 
so  serious  a  work ;  and  it  is  only  this  one  item,  out  of  all 
the  details  of  the  commission,  which  remains  undecided : 
and  the  indecision  is  entirely  your  own.  ...  I  beg  to 
suggest  that  this  business  between  you  and  me  is  as  impor- 
tant and  demands  attention  as  much  as  any  other.  .  .  . 

If  you  wish  the  commission  to  be  cancelled,  the  onus  of 
such  a  proposition  lies  with  you  :  and,  as  I  am  credibly 
informed  that  you  have  been  a  buyer  quite  recently  of  a 
large  and  costly  picture,  I  cannot  leave  the  consideration 
of  my  picture  to  the  chance  of  a  call  which,  judging  from 
the  experience  of  the  past  season,  might  be  indefinitely 
procrastinated.  Begging  your  immediate  attention, — I  am 
yours, 

Dante  G.  Rossetti. 


K 


146 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


97.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

["  The  infernal  drawing  "  may,  I  think,  have  been  Washing 
Hands :  see  No.  94.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
8  August  [1865]. 

My  dear  Brown, — I'm  afraid  I'm  surprising  you  by  the 
non-return  of  that  ^10.  The  fact  is,  the  infernal  drawing 
has  stuck  to  me  till  now,  and  I  shall  not  get  it  away  till 
the  end  of  this  week.  I  shall  have  to  ask  a  much  higher 
price.  I  make  no  doubt  (I  trust)  of  sending  you  the  tin 
by  next  week,  and  hope  I  am  not  inconveniencing  you. 

I  must  come  one  day  and  see  what  you  are  doing. 
Under  the  auspices  of  Heaton,  who  dictates  letters  for  the 
purpose,  I  am  stirring  up  the  demon  Dunlop,  who  shows 
a  new  horn,  hoof,  tusk,  or  tail,  at  every  new  step  of  the 
correspondence.  H[eaton]  advises  me  to  go  to  law  with 
him,  but  I  don't  think  I  shall. — Ever  yours, 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


98.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Walter  Dunlop. 

[16  Cheyne  Walk.] 
21  Aligns  1 1865. 

Sir, — I  exceedingly  regret  that,  so  far,  no  reply  has  come 
to  my  letter  of  a  fortnight  ago,  which  would  seem  to  have 
demanded  a  very  prompt  reply. 

You  must  surely  feel  that,  if  you  now  ignore,  without 
motive  or  apology,  a  commission  originated  entirely  by  your- 
self, and  for  which  I  was  induced  to  detail  to  you  important 
projects  of  work,  such  conduct  would  be  ungenerous  as  well  as 
unjust ;  and  would  moreover  place  me  (quite  apart  from  the 
question  of  interest)  in  a  ridiculous  position  which  I  could 
not  possibly  accept. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1865 


147 


If  a  letter  such  as  my  last,  written  in  a  quiet  and  dis- 
passionate tone,  upon  a  matter  of  business,  cannot  command 
attention,  one  seems  cut  off  from  any  friendly  discussion  of 
the  subject  in  hand  ;  and,  though  I  am  as  averse  as  it  is 
possible  to  be  from  any  other  mode  of  procedure,  of  course 
the  time  must  come,  in  the  continued  absence  of  your  reply, 
when  another  course  becomes  unavoidable. 

Trusting  that  no  such  time  may  arrive, — I  am  yours 

etc. 

D.  G.  R. 


99.— Dante  Rossetti  to  John  Heugii, 
Tunbridge  Wells. 

[While  the  unsatisfactory  correspondence  with  Mr  Dunlop 
was  going  on,  another  correspondence,  with  a  friend  of  his, 
Mr  Heugh,  began.  This  proved  as  irritating  and  as  useless 
as  the  other.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
I  September  1865. 

Dear  Sir, — I  am  now  taking  up  again  the  water-colour 
drawing  of  Socrates  taught  to  dance  by  Aspasia,  being  one  of 
the  two  which  you  commissioned  from  me  last  year.  As 
it  will  shortly  be  finished,  will  you  kindly  let  me  know 
whether,  on  its  completion,  it  should  be  sent  to  the  same 
address  as  this  letter,  or  to  any  other. — Yours  faithfully, 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


100.— Dante  Rossetti  to  John  Heugh. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
14  September  1865. 

Sir, — The  elaborate  incivilit)/  of  your  letter  is  as  astonish- 
ing as  it  is  unprovoked,  and  more  cannot  be  said.    As  it 


148 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


seems,  however,  intended  to  indicate  vaguely  some  attempt 
of  mine  to  over-reach  you  in  some  way,  I  may  as  well  be 
explicit  in  my  answer,  though  I  cannot  manage  to  harangue 
you  so  glibly  in  the  third  person. 

In  a  very  civil  letter  of  yours,  dated  14th  July  1864,  you 
say  :  "  The  two  water-colour  drawings  I  shall  be  happy  to 
have  on  the  terms  you  mention  in  your  note."  These  were 
the  Socrates,  and  a  sacred  subject  not  specified.  Of  my  note, 
alluded  to  by  you  above,  I  kept  no  copy,  never  having  been 
led  till  lately  to  think  such  caution  necessary ;  but,  if 
anything  was  said,  by  you  or  me,  as  to  time  of  delivery  for 
either  drawing,  by  word  or  by  writing,  I  am  more  mistaken 
than  my  good  memory  is  wont  to  be.  No  doubt  I  said  that 
the  Socrates  could  be  soon  finished,  meaning  (and  probably 
expressing)  that,  when  I  took  it  in  hand  again,  it  would  not 
take  long  to  complete.  That  when  to  be,  of  course,  when 
other  work  permitted  me  to  do  so  with  satisfaction  to  myself 
and  without  hurry.  The  work  would  be  sure  to  gain  by  this, 
and  consequently  the  purchaser  also.  I  have  done  since,  at 
different  pauses  from  larger  works,  several  water-colours 
requiring  less  study  than  the  Socrates ;  and  certainly  this 
might  have  been  taken  up  and  rapidly  executed  at  any  one 
of  the  moments  alluded  to,  sometimes  more  profitably  in 
a  money-sense  than  what  I  did  do.  I  have  always  thought 
of  it  at  such  times ;  but  have  always  refrained  from  then 
resuming  it,  from  a  wish  to  do  my  best  for  you  at  a  more 
favourable  moment.  I  am  thus  explicit  in  justice  to  myself, 
in  case  the  only  probable  explanation  of  the  delay  should 
really  have  failed  to  occur  to  you. 

Your  note  of  admiration  (!),  on  the  enormity  of  my 
neither  writing  to  you  since  nor  resuming  the  drawing  till 
now,  is  certainly  provocative  of  a  smile.  I  assure  you  my 
time  is  fully  and  importantly  occupied,  and  there  could  be 
nothing  to  write  about  till  I  could  announce  the  approaching 
completion  of  one  of  the  two  drawings. 

When  you  commissioned  these  drawings,  I  naturally 
supposed  you  did  so  because  you  liked  and  wished  to  possess 
my  work,  in  which  case  the  delay  of  a  year  could  not  well 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1865 


149 


alter  such  feeling.  You  could  scarcely  have  supposed  that 
all  other  work  would  be  at  once  postponed  to  this  for  you  ; 
nor  can  you  surely  imagine  that,  should  I  now  choose  to 
relinquish  these  distinct  commissions  from  a  repugnance  to 
working  for  a  capricious  and  uncivil  person,  my  work  will 
therefore  go  a-begging;  though  the  foolish  judicial  tone  of 
your  letter  would  seem  to  indicate  a  notion  that  you  can 
do  much  as  you  like  with  me. 

I  fear  I  now  find  that  you  sought,  of  your  own  accord, 
an  introduction  to  one  not  your  inferior  in  any  way  except 
so  far  as  your  money  can  make  him  so  (which  it  cannot, 
either  socially  or  mentally),  and  for  whose  powers  you 
professed  esteem — with  no  intention  to  consider  his  interests 
or  feelings  further  than  as  your  money  (so  you  thought) 
gave  your  caprice  the  power  to  do  so  or  not  to  do  so. 

If  this  be  thus,  I  am  sorry,  not  for  myself,  to  whom  no 
conduct  founded  on  such  views  can  matter,  and  to  whom 
its  results  in  this  instance  are  fortunately  unimportant ;  but 
only  for  your  years  which  have  brought  you  neither  right 
judgment  nor  good  taste. 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


loi. — Dante  Rossetti  to  John  Heugh. 

i6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
1 8  September  1865. 

Sir, — There  is  nothing  of  a  kind  to  surprise  me  in  your 
present  letter  ;  for  not  a  word  of  it  is  true. 

Enough  for  me  that,  in  spite  of  your  solemn  tone,  you 
know  as  well  as  I  do  that  you  are  untruthful. 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


150 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


I02. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Walter  Dunlop. 

[This  letter,  undated,  is  extant  in  Rossetti's  hand- 
writing. I  am  not  quite  clear  whether  it  was  sent  off  or  not. 
It  may  however  have  been  sent  off,  so  as  to  dispose  of  a  note 
from  Mr  Dunlop  dated  4th  August,  prior  to  the  further 
action  taken  by  my  Brother,  as  shown  in  his  letters  of  21st 
September  to  Mr  Heaton,  and  of  9th  November  to  Mr 
Dunlop.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[?  September  1865.] 

Dear  Sir, — Knowing  that  the  commission  I  received 
from  you  was  a  definite  one,  I  was  surprised  some  time  ago 
when  you  so  soon  ceased  to  answer  necessary  letters.  How- 
ever, I  thought  you  might  mean  to  call  when  in  town,  as 
a  readier  course ;  but  you  have  now  explained  yourself 
to  me. 

I  have  never  thought  it  necessary  to  be  on  my  guard 
towards  those  who  have  wished  to  possess  my  works,  as 
their  spontaneous  wish  did  not  seem  likely  to  be  followed  by 
any  but  gentlemanly  conduct ;  and  I  have  always  met  with 
such  till  now.  In  your  opposite  case,  be  sure  I  have  no 
thought  of  continuing  the  relation,  or  of  allowing  you  to 
do  so.  So  do  not  come  here  again, — if  indeed  your  express- 
ing the  intention  can  show  that  you  entertain  it. — Yours, 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


103. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Aldam  Heaton. 

[This  must  have  been  drawn  up  to  figure  as  an  osten- 
sible business-letter  ;  for  it  enters  into  some  particulars  of 
which  Mr  Heaton  was  already  perfectly  well  aware :  see 
No.  96.] 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1865 


151 


i6  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
21  September  1865. 

My  dear  Heaton, — It  is  now  more  than  a  year  since 
the  correspondence  in  which  you  were  kindly  involved 
between  me  and  Mr  Dunlop  respecting  his  commission  to 
me  for  the  picture  of  the  Ship  of  Love  came  to  a  stand- 
still, owing  to  his  steadily  ignoring  my  letters  on  the 
subject  of  the  stipulated  preliminaries ;  although  he  had 
agreed  to  these  with  alacrity,  and  asserted  his  own  pre- 
ference for  such  arrangement,  at  the  outset. 

Since  then,  as  you  may  have  gathered,  I  had  let  the 
matter  rest  for  a  considerable  while,  not  having  leisure  to 
give  any  more  attention  at  the  time  to  so  dogged  a 
recusant,  and  still  thinking  that  he  might  be  intending  to 
call  for  apology  and  renewal  of  the  subject,  when  in  town 
during  the  Exhibition-months.  Finding  however  that  he 
never  did  so,  I  wrote  him  a  short  note  at  the  beginning 
of  August  last,  asking  him  again  what  he  proposed  to  do 
in  the  matter.  To  this  he  gave  a  reply  of  the  most 
evasive  kind,  saying  that  the  matter  had  almost  escaped 
his  memory  through  press  of  more  important  things ;  that 
in  fact  he  had  ceased  to  think  of  it ;  but  that  he  would 
call  when  an  opportunity  occurred  to  see  what  I  was 
"doing  or  projecting."  To  this  surprising  note  I  answered 
temperately,  putting  his  duty  in  the  case  before  him  ;  and 
since  then,  receiving  no  reply,  have  written  him  two  or 
three  further  letters,  all  hitherto  unanswered.  The  last 
must  have  been  about  a  fortnight  ago ;  and  in  it  I  told 
him  that,  in  the  event  of  his  continued  silence,  my  only 
possible  recourse  (though  of  an  inexpressibly  distasteful 
kind)  would  be  to  law  (I  had  already  proposed  arbitration 
by  friends ;)  but  that,  before  taking  such  a  step,  I  should 
be  compelled  to  lay  the  details  of  the  matter  before  you, 
as  in  the  event  of  such  proceedings  I  should  have  unavoid- 
ably to  call  you  as  a  witness.  Thus  I  am  now  obliged  to 
write  to  you. 

I  need  not  comment  on  the  nature  of  Mr  D[unlop]'s 
conduct  in  this  matter,  as  I  feel  sure  you  will  see  it  as 


152 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


strongly  as  I  do.  Nevertheless  it  is  most  unwillingly  that 
I  renew  the  subject  to  you  with  a  direct  request  for 
friendly  offices  and  a  possible  prospect  of  its  giving  you 
still  further  trouble ;  but  to  do  so  seemed  the  only  remain- 
ing chance  of  avoiding  such  necessity,  as  a  communication 
from  you  might  possibly  still  bring  him  to  a  sense  of  his 
true  position  in  the  matter.  I  am  determined  not  to  give 
his  unworthy  tactics  the  advantage  of  tiring  me  out. 

However,  this  is  not  all.  You  will  remember  that  Mr 
Heugh,  at  the  same  time  with  Mr  Dunlop,  commissioned 
me  also  for  work  ;  viz.,  for  two  water-colour  drawings,  one 
of  a  subject  of  Socrates  taught  to  dance  by  Aspasia^  which 
he  saw  begun,  and  the  other  to  be  a  scriptural  subject  not 
specified.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  month  I  wrote 
to  him  saying  that  I  was  now  resuming  the  Socrates^ 
which  would  soon  be  finished,  and  asking  him  to  what 
address  it  should  then  be  sent.  I  send  you  his  incredibly 
aggressive  reply  after  a  fortnight ;  to  which  I  rejoined,  not 
violently,  I  assure  you,  though  of  course  with  befitting 
severity  on  such  conduct.  My  rejoinder  produced  a  second 
letter,  which  I  also  send  you,  and  have  answered  as  was 
right.  You  will  see  that  in  this  last  letter  he  makes  use 
of  your  name  in  a  sense  for  which  I  am  sure  you  will  not 
thank  him. 

I  send  you  Heugh's  letters  because  they  are  at  hand. 
Dunlop's  of  last  and  this  year  I  have  also. 

These  people's  conduct  in  getting  introduced  to  me, 
apparently  now  only  for  the  purpose  of  insulting  and 
injuring  me,  is  not  merely  unjustifiable  but  quite  inexplic- 
able. I  can  make  nothing  of  it,  so  must  lay  the  subject 
before  you,  with  due  apology  for  troubling  you  about  it, 
and  with  a  request  for  your  suggestions. — Ever  sincerely 
yours, 

p.  G,  ROSSETTI, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1865 


153 


104. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Walter  Dunlop. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
9  November  1865. 

Sir, — My  letters  to  you  a  short  time  ago  were  written 
purely  as  a  duty  to  myself,  and  that  certainly  not  an  agree- 
able one. 

However,  the  scale  of  several  commissions  I  have  just 
now  received,  as  well  as  the  prices  which  some  of  my  late 
pictures  have  brought  in  the  market,  are  so  much  beyond 
the  rate  at  which  I  had  agreed  to  paint  the  SJiip  of  Love  for 
you  that,  had  you  not  proved  a  recusant  to  your  bargain,  I 
should  now  have  found  myself  very  seriously  a  loser  by 
fulfilling  it. 

It  is  therefore  needless  to  say  that  it  cannot  now  be  worth 
my  while,  in  order  to  keep  you  to  your  word  by  law,  to 
bestow  time  which  is  more  valuable  even  in  a  money-sense 
than  the  success  of  such  suit  could  make  it  ;  not  to  speak  of 
the  higher  ground  on  which  my  time  should  be  devoted  to 
my  work  only. 

I  know  that  there  are  those  who  applaud  themselves  when 
misconduct  bears  them  no  worse  fruit  than  the  expression  of 
deserved  contempt.  To  such  species  of  success  I  make  you 
welcome. 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


105. — William  Rossetti — A  Spiritual  (?)  Seance 
(No.  I). 

[I  never  paid  much  attention  to  what  is  called  Spirit- 
ualism ;  and  have  a  general  impression  that  —  whatever 
may  be  the  amount  of  truth  in  it,  or  the  amount  of  imposture 
— any  great  addiction  to  its  phenomena  tends  to  weaken 
rather  than  fortify  the  mind.  Still  I  saw  soinething  of 
spiritualism.  The  first  instance  of  any  importance  seems  to 
have  been  the  one  which  is  here  recorded ;  and  after  this 


15i 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


date  I  continued  recording  any  other  instances  to  which  I 
was  a  party.  I  sometimes  speak  of  a  "spirit"  ;  but  this  word 
is  used  by  me  only  as  a  convenient  laconism,  as  I  never 
committed  myself  to  any  definite  belief  in  the  professed 
spiritual  origin  of  what  transpired.  My  account  goes  on 
to  14th  August  1868,  and  includes  twenty  secmces — mostly  in 
private,  and  without  any  professional  or  recognized  medium. 
After  August  1868  I  seem  to  have  seen  little  or  nothing 
of  these  manifestations  :  at  any  rate,  I  kept  no  further  record. 
I  shall  give  in  the  sequel  three  other  notices,  besides  the 
one  immediately  ensuing. — Captain  Ruxton  has  been  men- 
tioned by  me  elsewhere  :  he  was  a  gentleman  of  refinement 
and  intelligence,  rather  disposed  perhaps  to  a  belief  in  the 
marvellous,  but  (I  should  say)  far  from  being  a  perfectly 
easy  man  to  dupe. — ^-The  late  John  Cross,  the  artist  who 
painted  the  fine  picture  in  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  The 
Deathbed  of  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion^  has  also  been  mentioned 
elsewhere.] 

Saturday,  11  November  1865.  (Recorded  15  November^ — 
Ruxton,  with  whom  I  lunched,  enquired  whether  I  would 
like  him  and  me  to  go  together  to  Mrs  Marshall,  the  washer- 
woman medium,  late  of  Holborn,  now  at  7  Bristol  Gardens, 
Maida  Hill.  I  agreed,  and,  within  some  hour  thereafter, 
we  went,  arriving  towards  \\.  No  previous  arrangement, 
as  far  as  I  know  or  believe  :  my  name  not  asked,  nor  any 
other  questions.  I  had  never  before  seen  Mrs  M[arshall] 
or  the  others  of  her  party.  When  we  entered  (first-floor 
room)  there  were  present  Mrs  Marshall,  Mrs  Marshall  junior, 
a  third  woman,  Marshall,  and  (either  now  or  afterwards,  but 
only  for  a  very  short  while  altogether)  a  girl  some  ten  years 
of  age.  Mrs  M[arshall]  junior  and  the  third  woman  were 
laughing  boisterously  over  (as  they  told  us)  the  way  in  which 
Mrs  M[arshall]  junior's  hand  followed  this  third  woman 
about,  as  under  magnetic  attraction.  R[uxton]  and  I  at 
once  sat  down,  ready  to  begin.  The  third  woman  left.  The 
table  was  a  round  one,  of  considerable  size  and  heavyish 
make.    Room  lighted  artificially  just  as  fully  as  any  ordinary 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1865 


155 


sitting-room.  R[uxton]  took  a  stamped  alphabet,  and  a 
pencil  to  touch  the  letters.  Mrs  M[arshall]  and  Mrs 
M[arshall]  junior,  and  for  the  first  two  or  three  questions  only 
the  little  girl,  at  the  table,  with  hands  on  (Mrs  M[arshall] 
one  hand  only) :  M[arshall]  was  mostly  about  the  room,  but 
away  from  the  table. 

R\tixfon\ — Is  there  any  spirit  present  ? — Yes. — One  who 
would  communicate  with  me  ? — No. — With  this  other  gentle- 
man ? — Yes. — The  answers  were  very  generally  given  by 
immediate  decisive  raps,  which  mostly  sounded  to  me  as  on 
underside  of  the  table.  Now  and  then  there  were  tilts  and 
movements  of  the  table,  which  at  least  twice  rose  entirely 
off  the  ground,  and  returned  thereto  at  once  :  on  one  of  these 
occasions  I  was  looking  under  the  table,  but  saw  no  physical 
or  mechanical  motive  power.  I  now  took  the  alphabet  and 
pencil,  and  R[uxton]  wrote  down  the  answers. 

Myself. — Who  are  you  ? — John  Cross.  (This  name  was 
not  in  the  least  in  my  mind,  and  had  even  spelt  itself  out  up 
to  "  Cros  "  before  I  guessed  who  it  could  be.)  I  asked  various 
questions,  several  of  them  mentally  only  (no  words  spoken 
whatever  in  these),  to  which  answers  came  either  inapplicable 
or  wrong.  The  chief  of  these  were  as  follows  : — How  much 
did  I  subscribe  to  the  fund  for  your  family  ?  A[nswer].  At 
first  inapplicable  :  afterwards,  by  touching  ciphers  written  by 
me  at  the  moment,  3  ;  next,  rapped  out  by  that  number  of 
raps,  28.  (10  would  have  been  correct). — What  was  the 
peculiarity  affecting  one  of  your  children  which  I  am  now 
thinking  of  (mental  query).  A[nswer].  Lame  (should  have 
been.  Idiotic). — What  profession  were  you  of?  Surgeon, 
dentist,  etc.,  etc.,  painter,  physician  ?  (this  w^as  spoken  by 
me).    A[nswer]  came  at  "  Physician." 

So  far  as  specimens  of  the  wrong  answers.  The  following 
were  correct : — 

Query  (mental).  What  was  the  name  of  your  best 
picture? — Richard.  (I  was  not  expecting  the  word  Richard, 
but  rather  Coeur  de  Lion  ;  therefore  did  not  dwell  on  the 
initial  R.,  but — if  anything,  which  however  I  don't  think — it 
would  have  been  C.)    Will  you   give  me  a  spontaneous 


156 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


message  ? — Yes. — What  ? — My  life  was  one  of  trial. — What 
was  the  name  of  a  certain  sculptor  intimate  with  you  and 
me  ? — Thomas  Wo(olner :  I  was  so  satisfied  at  JVo  that  I 
left  off  with  the  alphabet).  * 

During  some  of  the  unsuccessful  experiments  we  had  all 
four  moved  to  a  smaller  table,  whereat  we  thereafter  remained. 
I  asked  for  raps  to  come  in  particular  spots — as  at  the  back 
of  my  chair  and  on  my  foot.  None  such  came,  though  the 
answer  that  he  would  rap  my  foot  was  obtained.  .  .  . 

After  the  answer  "  Woolner,"  I  proposed  that  R[uxton] 
should  ask  for  communications.  He  therefore  took  the 
alphabet,  and  I  wrote-down  the  letters  rapped  out. 

R[7fxto;i]. — Is  any  person  present,  ready  to  communicate 
with  me? — Yes. — Who? — M.  Minto.  (This  was  the  name 
of  his  deceased  Mother-in-law,  a  name  known  to  me  afore- 
time, but  which  I  had  been  lately  trying  to  remember  and 
had  wholly  failed). — Will  you  give  a  message  ? — Yes. — What  ? 
— Mary  (name  of  Mrs  Ruxton)  should  see  my  son. — Where 
is  he? — Brighton. — What  street? — Charles. — What  is  his 
name? — Jarvis.  (All  these  details  were  unknown  to  me, 
but  R[uxton]  informed  me  afterwards  they  are  correct : 
Jarvis  had  till  a  day  or  two  preceding  been  at  Southampton). 
— Will  you  send  a  certain  other  spirit  I  want  to  communicate 
with? — Yes. — Here  followed  receding  raps,  which,  Mrs 
M[arshall]  said,  showed  that  the  M.  Minto  spirit  was  going 
away  to  bring  the  other  one.  My  time  was  now  up,  and  I 
went.  On  following  day  R[uxton]  informed  me  that  the 
spirit  he  had  been  expecting  (name,  I  think,  Monckton)  had 
purported  to  come  next. 

One  message  given  to  me  by  Cross  was  "  You  are  a 
me(3:dium."    I  remember  no  other  mis-spelling. 

Neither  Mrs  M[arshall]  nor  (more  especially)  Mrs 
M[arshall]  junior  inspires  confidence  by  appearance.  How- 
ever, they  asked  no  fishing  questions  whatever,  nor  did  I 
detect  either  in  any  deception  :  and  it  was  one  of  them  who 
suggested  that  my  questions  should  be  mental  only,  rather 
than  spoken.  I  observed  on  the  walls  some  coloured  draw- 
*  And  silly  it  was  to  do  so. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1865 


157 


ings,  evidently  so-called  spirit-drawings — one  of  a  devil :  but 
I  paid  very  little  attention  to  them. 


1 06. — William  Rossetti — A  Spiritual  Seance  (No.  2.) 

[Mr  Spencer  Boyd  (of  Penkill  Castle,  Aryshire),  a  Brother 
of  Miss  Alice  Boyd,  had  died  very  suddenly  in  the  house  of 
Mr  Bell  Scott,  which  was  in  Elgin  (not  Elden)  Road,  London. 
Thomas  Sibson  was  a  friend  of  Scott's  at  a  much  earlier 
period  of  life ;  an  artist  who  produced  several  able  and 
remarkable  etchings.  There  was  a  series  of  these,  very 
familiar  to  my  Brother  and  myself  towards  1842,  illustrating 
Dickens's  Old  Curiosity  Shop  and  Barnaby  Rudge :  at  a  much 
later  date  my  copy  of  this  series  was  so  much  admired  by 
Burne-Jones  that  I  presented  it  to  him. — The  case  of 
Charlotte  Winsor  was  some  criminal  case  which  excited  much 
interest  in  1865:  she  was,  I  think,  a  ''Baby-farmer,"  con- 
victed of  murder,  and  finally  hanged.] 

Saturday,  2^  Nove//ider  [iS6^]. — Mrs  Marshall's  as  before 
—Scott  and  myself;  Mrs  M[arshall]  and  Mrs  M[arshall] 
junior,  and  scarcely  ever  Marshall.  Also  four  gentlemen 
whom  on  entering  we  found  at  a  seance  (two  of  these  seemed 
acquaintances) ;  and  late  in  our  seance  three  other  gentlemen, 
some  at  any  rate  obvious  believers,  came  in.  (Recorded  28 
to  30  November.) 

We  were  asked  to  join  the  four  at  the  table,  with  Mrs 
M[arshall]  junior :  Mrs  M[arshall]  sitting  away  from  the 
table :  we  did  so.  Time  towards  3,  therefore  daylight  for 
an  hour  or  so  :  afterwards  full  gaslight.  Scott  asked  whether 
he  might  examine  the  table  (the  heavy  round  one).  Allowed  ; 
and  he  and  I  looked  at  it,  I  feeling  that  there  was  not  a 
hollow  at  the  pillar  of  the  table  up  which  a  stick  could  be 
passed  to  rap.  Answers  generally  by  loud  immediate  raps  : 
some  sharp  movements  and  starts  of  the  table  also.  At  first 
nothing  very  noticeable  came,  and  I  asked  for  Mrs  M[arshall] 
to  sit  at  the  table,  which  she  did,  when  the  power  seemed  at 


158 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


once  considerably  increased.  Various  mistakes  and  mulls 
however  from  time  to  time :  one  was  that  a  spirit  communi- 
cating with  me  professed  to  be  "  Mother." 

Scott  (till  now  a  rejector  of  all  spiritualistic  evidence) 
had  told  m.e  as  we  went  up  in  the  cab  (no  pre-arrangement 
whatever  with  Mrs  Marshall  for  our  visit)  that  he  would  fix 
upon  Boyd  and  Sibson  to  communicate  with  if  possible. 
At  a  tolerably  early  stage  of  the  seance  he  said,  "  I  have 
a  certain  friend  of  mine  in  my  mind  :  is  he  present  ?  " — 
(Raps)  Yes. — What  was  your  Christian  name? — Spirit. — 
Try  again. — Sa. — Try  for  the  surname. — Boyd. — Christian 
name  ? — Spencer. — You  died  in  my  house :  what  is  the 
name  of  the  street? — Elden  Road. — How  long  ago? — One 
year  (just  about  ten  months  is,  I  believe,  correct). — Do  you 
know  where  your  sister  is? — Yes. — Where? — Sudvow. 
S[cott]  says  Penkill  is  correct,  and  he  can  make  nothing  of 
Sudvow). — What  county?  (No  correct  answer). — What  is 
her  Christian  name  ? — Ca. — At  this  S[cott]  left  off,  consider- 
ing it  a  blunder,  as  he  was  thinking  of  the  Miss  Alice  Boyd  : 
since  then  he  writes  me  there  is  a  half-sister  named 
Catherine.  The  correctness,  so  far  as  it  went,  of  the  answers 
staggered  S[cott]  hugely.  I  asked  the  Boyd  spirit,  "  Did 
you  know  me?"  Two  raps  in  reply,  which  reckons  as 
meaning  not  exactly  yes  nor  no. — Did  you  ever  see  me  ? — 
No.  Both  answers  must  be  considered  correct,  as  he  must 
undoubtedly  have  often  heard  something  about  me,  but 
never  met  me. 

Another  experiment  made  by  S[cott]  was  this.  He  wrote 
on  a  paper,  kept  invisible,  Thomas  Sibson,  and  asked  whether 
the  communicating  spirit  (I  think  it  was  still  Boyd)  could 
spell  it  out.  "  Sis "  was  obtained  by  raps,  but  nothing 
nearer  than  that.  Then  Mrs  M[arshall]  junior  suggested 
that  Scott  should  write  out  several  Christian  and  surnames, 
including  the  right  ones.  He  did  so,  and  the  answers  came 
at  Thomas  and  Sibson.  A  just  similar  experiment  with  the 
names  David  and  Scott.* 

*  Le.^  David  Scott,  the  painter,  deceased  Brother  of  William 
Bell  Scott. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1865 


159 


To  me  the  following  happened.  I  said  :  "  Is  there  any 
spirit  present  who  knew  me?" — Yes. —  Name? — Hewi.  I 
then  said :  "  That  is  no  name  at  all ;  and,  even  had  you 
gone  on  to  *  Hewit '  or  any  such  name,  I  never  knew  a 
person  so  named."  One  of  the  gentlemen  present  said : 
"  There  was  a  New  Zealand  Chief  of  the  name  of  Hewi  : 
one  of  those  who  used  to  go  about  England  exhibiting." 
I  asked  the  Spirit :  Were  you  that  Chief? — Yes. — Did 
you  ever  see  me? — Yes. — Was  it  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne ? — 
Yes.  —  How  long  ago  ?  three  years  ?  —  No. — One  ? — No. — 
Two  ? — Yes. — Were  you  black-complexioned  ? — No. — All 
this  is  right,  on  the  assumption  that  the  spirit  really  was 
one  of  the  exhibiting  New-Zealanders. 

One  of  the  gentlemen  wrote  unseen  a  name  on  a  paper, 
and  got  it  spelled  out  by  raps,  Richard  Willims  (should 
have  been  Williams).  At  another  time  he  said  :  "  Is  there 
a  spirit  who  will  communicate  with  me  ?  " — Yes. — Who  ? — 
Uncle  John. — He  said :  "  I  had  no  uncle  of  that  name." 
I  then  said  :  "  Is  it  my  Uncle  John  ?  " — Yes.  I  asked  for  the 
surname,  by  the  alphabet,  but  could  not  get  it.  Then  :  Is 
it  an  English  surname? — No. — Foreign? — Yes. — Spanish, 
German,  etc.,  etc.,  Italian  ? — Yes. — I  then  called  over  five 
or  six  Italian  names,  coming  to  Polidori. — Yes. — Will  you 
tell  me  truly  how  you  died  ? — Yes. — How  ? — Killed. — Who 
killed  you  ? — I, — There  was  a  celebrated  poet  with  whom 
you  were  connected  :  what  was  his  name  ? — Bro.  This  was 
twice  repeated,  or  something  close  to  it  the  second  time. 
At  a  third  attempt,  "  Byron." — There  was  a  certain  book 
you  wrote,  attributed  to  Byron  :  can  you  give  me  its  title  ? — 
Yes. — I  tried  to  get  this  title  [viz. :  TJie  Vainpyre]  several 
times,  but  wholly  failed. — Are  you  happy? — Two  raps, 
meaning  not  exactly. 

One  of  the  gentlemen  present  afterwards  consulted  the 
table,  in  order  to  obtain  advice  and  information  on  some 
matters  wherein  he  was  interested.  The  answers  came 
apposite,  and  he  seemed  to  suppose  them  probably  valid. 

These  were  the  chief  incidents  of  our  seance  (six  persons 
besides  the  Marshalls) :  the  last  message  to  us  being,  "  We 


160 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


shall  say  no  more."  The  three  persons  who  had  come  in 
later  then  took  possession  of  the  table,  with  Mrs  M[arshall] 
junior,  we  other  six  being  about  the  room,  also  Mrs 
M[arshall]  senior,  but  not  interfering  in  the  table-perform- 
ances. One  of  the  enquirers,  evidently  an  American,  tried  to 
get  into  communication  with  a  certain  friend  of  his  killed 
in  the  American  War,  Theodore  (something),  but  failed. 
Another  asked  for  a  certain  deceased  cousin  of  his  :  Name  ? — 
Roland  Williams. — Where  are  you  buried  ?  what  county  ? — 
Anglesea. — Name  of  the  place  ? — Cerrigceinwen. — These  and 
some  other  answers  in  the  same  connexion  he  affirmed  to  be 
true. 

During  part  of  these  performances  S[cott]  asked  whether 
he  might  look  under  the  table.  He  did  so,  kneeling  on  the 
ground  with  his  head  under  the  table-surface,  and  listening 
as  well  as  looking  for  the  source  of  the  knocks.  He  thought 
they  sounded  more  as  if  on  the  floor  {i.e.^  made  on  the  ceiling 
of  the  room  below)  than  on  the  table.  Whilst  he  was  thus 
looking,  and  the  people  obtaining  messages  through  the 
table,  came  this  message,  "  Mind  your  wig."  They  all 
laughed,  not  seeing  any  applicability  in  the  message  :  S[cott] 
alone  guessed  it  might  be  meant  for  him,*  and  so  explained 
it  to  the  others.  Meanwhile  Mrs  M[arshall]  senior  was  talk- 
ing to  some  of  us,  myself  included,  about  her  experiences — 
very  vulgarly,  and  (as  I  should  say  so  far  as  this  alone  is 
concerned)  stupidly  and  impostor-like.  She  is  a  Southcottian 
(not  so  Mrs  M[arshall]  junior) ;  has  had  visions  and  other 
spiritual  experiences  all  her  life :  sees  ghosts :  they  are 
generally  like  the  shadows  of  living  people,  only  white.  Saw 
the  ghost,  shortly  after  his  death,  of  Smith,  editor  of  The 
Family  Herald.  He  entered  her  room  in  his  usual  costume, 
and  sat  close  beside  her  on  a  chair.  She  looked  hard  at 
him,  to  be  sure  he  should  not  evade  without  her  knowing  it ; 
but,  after  he  had  sat  (some  minutes,  I  think),  he  was  all  at 
once  gone.  She  can  prophesy ;  sees  visions  in  the  streets 
at  times.  I  asked  her  whether  she  could  prophesy  events 
which  become  of  public  notoriety,  such  as  the  American  War 
*  He  wore  a  wig. 


PROFESSOR  NORTON,  1865 


161 


or  the  death  of  Lord  Pahnerston  : — Yes,  when  the  "  sperrit  " 
is  on  her. — Well,  can  she  now  prophesy  whether  the  Judges 
will  decide  for  or  against  Charlotte  Winsor? — She  could 
under  the  fitting  conditions. — Can  she  prophesy  whether 
England  and  the  United  States  will  go  to  war  ? — Yes,  they 
will  go  to  war  "  in  course  of  time "  (or  some  similar  vague 
expression).  There  shall  soon  be  "a  great  outpouring  of 
the  sperrit."  I  asked  :  "  In  what  way  ?  Will,  for  instance, 
miraculous  cures  be  effected,  such  as  in  the  New  Testament  ?  " 
— Yes. — Towards  this  part  of  the  conversation  she  assumed 
a  sort  of  vaticinatory  furor^  talked  with  an  air  of  excitement, 
fixing  me  with  her  eyes,  but  merely  some  of  the  common- 
place semi-biblical  phrases  about  the  outpouring  of  the 
spirit.    I  took  it  cool,  and  the  fit  soon  passed. 

I  have  omitted  to  state  that  one  of  the  first  things  done 
after  we  entered  was  that  I  asked :  "  Will  the  spirit  who 
communicated  with  me  here  some  days  ago  do  so  again  1 " — 
Yes. — Name?  Something  was  obtained  approaching  to 
Charles,  not  to  John  Cross,  and  nothing  came  of  this 
attempt. 

Soon  before  we  departed,  Mrs  M[arshall]  junior  asked 
me  whether  I  would  like  to  obtain  some  raps  in  the  door  of 
the  room,  which  opens  on  to  the  landing  and  staircase.  She, 
another  man,  and  I,  went  to  the  door,  inside,  placing  our 
hands  upon  it :  Scott  went  outside,  and  did  the  like.  Many 
loud  raps  or  thumps  ensued,  coming  apparently  as  if  from 
without  to  me  within,  and  as  if  from  within  to  S[cott]  with- 
out. They  appeared  more  or  less  distinctly,  sometimes  very 
distinctly,  to  be  actually  in  or  on  the  door.  S[cott]  next 
came  in,  and  so  put  up  his  hand,  and  another  man  went  out- 
side :  result  to  correspond.  Mrs  M[arshall]  junior  says  two 
raps  mean  "  doubtful,"  and  five  a  demand  for  the  alphabet. 


107. — Professor  Norton  to  William  Rossettl 

[As  I  took  a  very  intense  interest  in  the  American  War 
of  Secession — siding  wholly  with  the  Northern  States,  as 

L 


1G2 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  upholders  of  national  unity,  and  of  the  restriction,  and 
finally  the  abolition,  of  slavery,  and  deploring  the  pro- 
slavery  frenzy  which  had  seized  hold  of  the  great  majority 
of  Englishmen  of  the  so-called  educated  classes — I  reproduce 
with  some  sense  of  satisfaction  this  reference  by  Professor 
Norton  to  an  article  which  I  had  written,  named  English 
Opinion  on  the  American  War.  It  appeared,  as  here  indi- 
cated, in  The  Atlantic  Monthly?^ 

Cambridge  [Massachusetts]. 
I  December  1865. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — .  .  .  Your  paper  on  English  Opinio7i 
concerning  American  affairs  during  the  Rebellion  is  exceed- 
ingly interesting.  It  is,  I  think,  the  most  candid  statement 
and  the  ablest  presentation  of  the  subject  which  has  been 
made,  and  I  regret  that  its  form  prevents  its  publication  in 
the  North  American  Review.  All  the  papers  in  the  Review 
are  impersonal  in  their  form,  after  the  manner  of  those  in 
the  chief  English  Reviews.  The  editorial  "  we  "  is  preserved 
throughout,  and  the  Review  is  regarded  as  a  distinct,  however 
fictitious,  entity.  This  being  the  case,  I  have  thought  best 
to  offer  your  paper  for  publication  to  the  Editor  of  The 
Atlantic  Monthly.  He  has  gladly  accepted  it,  and  it  will 
appear,  I  believe,  in  the  next  number.  I  have  undertaken 
to  revise  the  proof  of  it,  so  that  I  trust  it  will  appear  with- 
out any  serious  typographical  blunders.  The  Atlantic  has  so 
large  a  circulation  that  your  article  will  be  read  much  more 
widely  than  if  it  were  published  in  the  North  A  merican.  .  .  . — 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

Charles  Eliot  Norton. 


108.— James  Smetham  to  Dante  Rossettl 

[Mr  Smetham,  a  painter  by  profession,  was  a  peculiarly 
devout  Christian — a  Methodist.  Rossetti  had  known  some- 
thing of  him  in  early  years,  and  more  especially  since  1863. 


JAMES  SMETHAM,  1865 


163 


Smetham's  mind  give  way  at  last  under  the  stress  of  religious 
ideas,  and  he  died  several  years  ago.  A  volume  of  his  letters 
was  published  in  1892,  and  secured,  as  it  deserved,  a  consider- 
able amount  of  attention.  These  letters  were  edited  by 
Mr  William  Davies  (author  of  The  Pilgrimage  of  the  Tiber 
etc.),  who  is  mentioned  in  the  ensuing  extract  as  "  W.D." 
The  extract  comes,  not  from  a  letter  in  the  ordinary  sense, 
but  from  some  scrappy  leaves  of  small  memorandum-paper 
stitched  together.] 

[Stoke-Newington]. 
8  and  9  December  1865. 

I  generally  have  had  for  some  years  past  a  set  of  these 
"  Ventilators  "  (as  W.  D.  called  them)  going,  and  so  managed 
to  find  an  outlet  for  every  form  of  feeling  and  thought.  A 
good  part  of  them  were  written  on  tops  of  omnibuses,  in  rail- 
way-trains, at  country-inns,  or  wherever  there  was  a  spare 
twenty  minutes.  Sometimes,  when  I  wanted  to  think  out 
any  life-project,  I  have  spent  days  in  seeing  to  the  end  of 
it — choosing  this  rather  than  journalizing  because  thought 
stowed  up  in  Diaries  gets  foetid  and  affected  and  dangerous. 
.  .  .  No  agreement  of  mutuality.  My  friends  reply  some- 
times— either  in  conversation,  by  letter  or  occasional  Venti- 
lator— but  scarce  any  of  them  is  fond  enough  of  the  labour 
of  writing  to  do  the  same  thing,  and  I  don't  expect  it. 
Sometimes  a  cannonade  of  Ventilators  has  followed  day 
after  day  till  a  thing  has  been  demolished.  Then  a  silence 
of  weeks — months — a  year  or  two,  .  .  . 

As  you  have  kindly  desired  something  less  formal  after — 
as  you  say — ten  years'  acquaintance,  and  as  I  find  everybody 
calling  you  Gabriel,  I  must  take  the  liberty  of  falling  into 
the  same  rut.  .  .  . 

There  have  been  only  two  men  concerned  directly  in 
Art  whom  I  cared  much  to  know  a  priori — and  I  have  known 
them  both  for  ten  and  eleven  years.  .  .  .  But  these  two  I 
was  drawn  to  love  for  their  own  sake — Ruskin  by  his  works, 
and  D.  G.  R.  by  his  sum-total.  And  that  not  because  the 
two  R.'s  were  very  clever  and  influential  (though  of  course, 


164 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


to  a  despicable  fallen  son  of  the  first  Adam,  there  is  a  detest- 
able magnetism  in  these  things).  ...  As  to  one  of  the  R's, 
I  only  pretend  to  a  partial  personal  acquaintance.  He  is  too 
well-off — too  well-known — too  encumbered  with  friends — 
too  phosphoric — to  look  very  long  in  one  direction ;  and  I 
am  entirely  content  with  things  as  they  stand — I  won't  bore 
him.  But  the  other  has  many  things  in  the  same  Hne  as 
myself,  which  makes  me  thankful  for  some  awakening  inter- 
course on  Art — of  which  (for  reasons)  I  have  for  twenty  years 
voluntarily  debarred  myself  .  .  .  My  dear  Gabriel,  if  you 
have  got  any  kick  in  you ^  pray  kick  out  soon,  and  don't  let  us 
get  into  a  mess.  I'm  quite  sure  yoti  are  all  right  in  respect 
to  generosity  and  nobleness,  but  I'm  not  so  sure  that  I  am — 
and  that  you  wouldn't  repent  a  closer  intercourse. 

I  wouldn't  speak  of  what  I  may  call  Methodist  peculiari- 
ties, but  that  I  already  see  that  in  your  circle  there  will  be  a 
never-ceasing  collision — though  tacit — on  daily  habits.  .  .  . 


109. — Ernest  Gambart  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  picture  here  mentioned  must  be  The  Blue  Bower. 
Mr  Gambart  speaks  of,  and  denies,  a  selling-price  of  1600 
guineas  ;  my  Brother  had  been  told  1 500.  Mr  Gambart  had, 
at  any  rate,  made  a  handsome  profit  on  this  picture :  he 
bought  it  of  Rossetti  for  £210,  and  he  admitted  having  sold 
it  for  ;^500. — The  single  head  for  which  Rossetti  now  asked 
£^2^  is  uncertain  to  me  :  possibly  Manna  Vanna^  called  also 
Belcolore?\ 

18  December  1865. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — In  a  letter  dated  last  Saturday,  Mr 
Ruskin,  in  answer  to  one  of  mine  mentioning  that  I  was  a 
loser  by  my  last  transaction  with  him,  tells  me  that  he 
"  considers  me  fair  game."  To-day  in  conversation  with  him 
I  got  the  key  to  that  sentiment.  He  told  me  of  the  enormous 
profits  I  am  making,  giving  for  example  the  picture  I  had 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1866 


165 


bought  from  you  for  200  guineas  and  sold  for  1600  guineas. 
Now  this  mischievous  story  has  injured  me  with  Mr  Ruskin 
and  with  you,  since  you  asked  me  yesterday  500  guineas  for 
a  single  head,  a  price  out  of  all  proportion  with  your  present 
engagements  to  other  people  :  and  no  doubt  it  goes  the 
rounds  of  studios,  and  will  damage  me  not  only  there,  but 
keep  collectors  from  coming  to  me  for  their  purchases.  May 
I  ask  you  who  started  the  mendacious  story  as  to  the  1600 
guineas.  But  as  to  the  other  end  of  the  story,  the  figure 
of  200  guineas  being  right,  and  never  having  been  mentioned 
by  me  or  my  people,  it  must  have  been  obtained  elsewhere, 
or  been  guessed  at  in  a  remarkable  way.  Perhaps  you  may 
have  given  it  yourself  If  so,  let  me  draw  to  your  attention 
that  there  is  an  end  to  the  possibility  of  business  if  the 
producer  of  any  article  sold  by  a  middle-man  publishes 
the  price  he  obtains ;  and  should  I,  notwithstanding  the 
injurious  reports  above  mentioned,  and  their  effect  on  you, 
have  again  the  good  fortune  to  obtain  some  of  your  works, 
I  beg  you  will  not  mention  the  prices  charged  to  me  for 
them.  Should  you  have  occasion  for  it,  I  would  feel  obliged 
by  your  telling  those  who  were  told  the  story  of  the  1600 
guineas  that  it  is  nothing  but  an  idle  tale.  The  true 
version  I  have  given  you  and  Mr  Ruskin,  but  I  do  not  want 
it  to  be  further  circulated. — I  remain  yours  very  truly, 

E.  Gambart. 


1 10.— William  Rossetti— A  Spiritual  Seance  (No.  3). 

[The  locality  of  this  seance  was  the  private  residence 
of  our  old  family-friend  Mr  Keightley  the  historian.  The 
persons  mentioned  as  present  were  all  (except  myself) 
immediate  connexions  of  his :  Mr  Lyster  being  his  nephew, 
a  very  intimate  friend  of  mine,  and  my  colleague  at  the 
Inland  Revenue  Office,  Somerset  House.] 

Thursday,  4  January  1866. — Mr  Keightley 's.  Belvedere: 


166 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


dining-room.  At  the  table,  Lyster,  Louisa  Parke,  and  I  : 
in  the  room  the  two  Misses  Keightley,  the  two  Misses 
Lyster,  and  Mrs  Lyster :  the  last  came  to  the  table  quite 
towards  the  close  of  the  seance,  replacing  Lyster.  (Recorded 
5  January). 

We  took  a  small  round  wooden  table,  not  a  shaky 
one.  All  the  answers  were  given  by  tilts,  generally  ready 
and  decided,  which  began  very  soon  indeed  after  we  sat 
down.  On  this  occasion  one  tilt  was  notified  to  mean 
yes,  and  two  no. 

Lyster. — Is  any  spirit  present?  —  Yes.  —  Will  he  com- 
municate with  me  ? — No. — Louisa  ? — No. — William  Rossetti  ? 
— Yes. — I  then  began  asking  questions,  first  by  calling-over 
the  alphabet ;  but,  after  three  or  four  questions,  by  means 
of  an  alphabet  which  I  wrote  and  touched  at. — Did  you 
know  me  ?  —  Yes.  —  What  was  your  surname  ? — Woow. — 
We  could  get  nothing  beyond  this. 

Next  we  asked  whether  some  other  spirit  was  present. 
Yes,  and  replied  that  he  had  known  all  the  persons  at 
the  table,  and  (somewhat  faintly)  all  in  the  room.  Lyster 
proceeded  to  ask  questions.  —  Surname?  —  Keightley.  — 
Initial  of  first  Christian  name  ?  —  W.  —  Of  second  ?  —  S. 
(correct  for  William  Samuel  Keightley).  —  Where  did  you 
die?  France,  England,  etc.,  etc.  Australia? — Yes. — What 
year? — 1856. — Do  you  know  your  wife  Jane  in  the  spirit- 
world? — Yes. — What  month  did  she  die? — October. — What 
was  the  name  of  the  place  where  you  died?  *(In  putting 
this  question  L[yster]  had  to  enquire  whether  his  aunts 
remembered  the  correct  name,  and  Miss  K[eightley]  gave 
the  name  "  Corran,"  or  something  like  that).  The  spirit  next 
spelled-out  the  beginning  of  the  name,  nearly  the  same : 
L[yster]  did  not  go  on  to  get  the  name  finished.  The 
family  say  those  answers  of  which  I  did  not  already  know 
the  correctness  are  correct. 

After  this,  another  spirit  professed  to  come.  —  Lyster: 
Will  you  communicate  with  me  ? — No. — With  Rossetti  ? — 
Yes. — I  :  Spell  your  surname. — Eross. — I  tried  to  get  this 
more  satisfactory,  but  failed.    I  then  asked  :   "Is  E.  the 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1866 


167 


initial  of  your  Christian  name?" — Yes. — Is  R.  the  initial 
of  your  surname  ?  —  Yes.  —  Are  you  Lizzie,  my  brother's 
wife? — Yes. — Did  you  know  Lyster? — No. — Louisa  Parke? 
—  Yes.     (This   is   true,  Louisa  having  accompanied  her, 
G[abriel],  and  me,  to  the  theatre). —  Have  you  seen  Gabriel 
this  evening? — Yes. — Is  he  at  Chelsea? — Yes. — What  is  he 
doing?  painting?  —  No.  —  Asleep?  —  Yes.    (I  noted  the 
moment  of  this  reply — 8  minutes  past  1 1   P.M.) — Do  you 
know  where  he  dined  on  Christmas  Day? — Yes. — Was  it 
at  Burne-Jones's  ? — No. — Madox  Brown's? — No. — With  his 
mother  and  me  ? — Yes.     (Correct).     Here  Lyster  asked  : 
"  Do  you  remember  ever  coming  down  to  this  neighbour- 
hood?"— Yes. — What  is  the  initial  of  the  name  of  the 
place?  —  B.     (I   did   not   at  the  moment  remember  the 
applicability  of  these  answers :  but  L[yster]  reminded  me 
of  Bexley  —  strictly  Upton  —  where  Morris  resided,  and 
Lizzie  had  visited).    I  then  resumed :  Do  you  remember 
Morris? — Yes. — Can  you  give  me  the  initial  of  the  street 
in  London  to  which  he  has  now  removed  ? — Yes. — What  ? 
— Q. — Lyster :    Is  it  a  street  ? — No. — Square  ? — Yes.  (All 
this   is   correct — Queen    Square,   Bloomsbury :    Lyster,  as 
well  as  I,  knew  the  correct  answers ;  not  so  Louisa,  who 
appeared  to  be  the  medium).    Lyster  then  proposed  that 
one  of  the  persons  present  should  write  unseen  on  a  paper 
any  letter  of  the  alphabet,  and  ask  the  spirit  to  read  it 
when  kept  concealed.    I  asked  :  "  Will  you  do  this  ?  " — Yes. 
— Miss  Lyster  wrote  an  S.    Three  wrong  answers  came, 
no  right  one.  .  .  .  Do  you  know  my  Father  in  the  spirit- 
world? — No. — Your  own  Father? — Yes. — From  about  this 
point  the  tilts  became  comparatively  confused  and  muddled, 
and  almost  always  in  two  (for  no),  though  still  far  from 
feeble  in  point  of  mere  motion.    For  some  while  it  could 
not  be  determined  whether  Lizzie  was  still  there.    At  last 
a  clear  No  was  obtained. — Are  you  a  good  spirit? — No. — 
Bad? — No.  —  Midway?  — No.  —  A  devil?  — No.  —  Are  you 
trifling  with  us? — Yes. 

I  should  have  put  in  its  proper  place,  somewhat  early 
in  the  colloquy  with  Lizzie,  a  question  put  by  Lyster.  Is 


168 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Christianity  true  ? — Yes. — That  which  is  ordinarily  meant 
by  "  the  Christian  rehgion  ?  " — Yes. — Also  I  asked  :  Did 
you  see  me  yesterday  in  Highgate  Cemetery? — No.  (I 
had  gone  to  the  Cemetery  for  Mrs  Hannay's  funeral). — Do 
you  know  the  Davenports  ?  —  No.  —  Do  you  know  that 
Gabriel  attended  their  seance  a  few  days  ago? — No. — Do 
you  know  what  will  be  the  issue  of  Christina's  illness? — 
No. 


III. — Professor  Norton  to  William  Rossetti. 

[I  did  not  write  the  proposed  article  on  William  Blake. 
It  might  appear,  by  another  letter  from  Professor  Norton, 
that  I  proposed  to  defer  such  an  article  until  Mr  Swin- 
burne's book  on  the  subject  should  be  published — and 
eventually  the  matter  dropped.] 

Cambridge,  Mass. 
9  January  1866. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — .  .  .  Your  paper  on  EnglisJi  Opinion 
on  America  is  printed,  and  will  appear  in  a  few  days.  It 
seemed  to  me  on  a  second  reading  quite  as  excellent  as 
when  I  first  read  it  in  manuscript,  and  I  regretted  still 
more  that  its  form  had  prevented  its  appearance  in  the 
North  American  Review.  .  .  . 

If  you  will  do  what  you  propose,  take  up  from  time  to 
time,  quarterly  or  at  longer  intervals  as  you  choose,  some 
subject  with  which  you  are  sufficiently  acquainted  to  write 
upon  it  with  satisfaction  to  yourself,  I  shall  regard  it  as 
a  great  favour.  The  subject  you  mention,  "  Swinburne's 
poetry  and  its  relation  to  our  contemporary  poetry  in 
general,"  is  an  excellent  one ;  and  I  should  gladly  accept 
your  proposal  to  write  on  it,  were  it  not  that  before  your 
letter  came  Mr  Lowell  had  expressed  his  intention  to  treat 
it  in  the  next  number   of  the  Review.    Since  receiving 


PROFESSOR  NORTON,  1866 


169 


your  letter  I  have  seen  Lowell,  and  find  that  he  really 
wishes  to  say  something  on  Mr  Swinburne.  .  .  . 

There  is  one  subject,  indeed,  on  which  I  wish  you 
would  at  some  time  write  —  William  Blake's  mystical 
poems.  The  treatment  of  them  in  Mr  Gilchrist's  biography 
of  Blake  is  not  satisfactory.  I  cannot  but  think  that  more 
is  to  be  found  out  concerning  them ;  that  they  are  not 
insane  rhapsodies,  but,  however  unintelligible  to  the  mere 
common-sense,  they  have,  in  part  at  least,  a  meaning 
which  the  sympathetic  imagination  may  discover  and 
disclose.  At  any  rate,  I  am  curious  to  see  more  of  them 
than  Mr  Gilchrist  has  printed.  Blake's  genius  was  so 
marvellous  and  so  thoroughly  individual,  so  un-English  and 
so  spiritual,  that  it  is  perhaps,  in  its  mystical  manifesta- 
tions, only  to  be  spiritually  discerned. 

I  had  the  great  pleasure  of  receiving  from  Mr  Scudder 
last  Saturday  the  photographs  which  your  Brother  was 
good  enough  to  send  me.  They  are  deeply  interesting  to 
me,  and  very  delightful.  I  know  no  pictures  so  full  of 
poetic  feeling  or  so  poetic  in  conception  as  his.  They 
hold  a  place  quite  by  themselves  in  art,  and  to  any  one 
who  can  sympathize  at  all  with  the  spirit  in  which  they 
are  conceived  and  executed  they  must  be  of  the  highest 
worth.  I  value  them  more  than  I  can  well  say ;  and, 
while  thanking  your  Brother  for  me  most  sincerely  for  these 
photographs,  I  wish  you  would  beg  him  to  add  to  his  gift, 
and  to  let  me  have  a  copy  of  any  other  photographs  that 
may  have  been  taken  of  his  designs.  Mrs  Norton  shares 
fully  with  me  in  appreciation  and  admiration  of  these 
works,  and  they  give  her  as  much  pleasure  as  they  give 
to  me. 

With  kindest  regards  to  your  Brother  and  yourself, — I 
am  very  truly  yours, 

Charles  Eliot  Norton. 


170 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


112.— Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[Barone  Kirkup,  who  had  been  my  Father's  valued  and 
enthusiastic  correspondent,  began  at  this  time  writing  to 
me ;  several  extracts  from  his  letters  will  be  presented  in 
the  sequel — occupied  to  a  great  extent  with  the  subject  of 
Spiritualism,  in  which  he  had  become  a  profound  believer. 
I  had  called  on  the  Barone  in  Florence  in  i860,  but  had 
only  a  brief  interview  with  him.  He  was  then  very  deaf, 
and  in  the  course  of  years  became  much  more  so — one 
might  say,  stone-deaf  Mr  Keightley  also  suffered  from  the 
same  infirmity  ;  and  I  think  it  was  he  who  had  asked  me 
to  send  Barone  Kirkup  a  letter  to  which  the  following  is 
the  reply.  In  one  sentence  of  his  letter  the  Barone  rather 
seems  to  imply  that  his  own  deafness  had  diminished 
under  "  spiritual "  treatment :  if  there  had  in  fact  been  any 
diminution,  this  was  but  temporary. — He  states  that  my 
Brother  had,  towards  the  close  of  Gilchrist's  Life  of  Blake, 
"derided  spiritualism":  the  reference  must  be  to  Vol.  I,  p. 
382,  where  the  writer  (and  it  was  in  fact  my  Brother) 
speaks  of  Dr  Wilkinson's  poems  entitled  Improvisations  of 
the  Spirit.  His  tone  on  that  occasion  was  light,  but  his 
real  disposition  was  towards  believing  in  spiritualism  too 
much  rather  than  too  little. — The  verse-quotation  which 
Kirkup  makes  from  Dante  means — "  A  man  ought  always 
to  shut  his  lips  to  the  uttermost  against  a  truth  which  has 
the  aspect  of  a  lie,  since  this,  without  wrongfulness,  entails 
shame." — The  water-colour  by  Blake,  which  the  Barone 
calls  the  Three  Heroes  of  Cainlan,  was  by  Blake  himself 
entitled  TJie  Ancient  Britons:  "in  the  last  battle  of  King 
Arthur  only  three  Britons  escaped ;  these  were  the 
Strongest  Man,  the  Beautifullest  Man,  and  the  Ugliest 
Man."  This  water-colour  (or  a  minor  record  of  it)  exists 
in  the  British  Museum,  though  Kirkup  supposed  it  to  be 
wholly  lost.] 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1866 


171 


2  PONTE  VECCHIO,  FLORENCE. 

19  January  1866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — As  I  can't  make  out  Keightley's 
address  in  your  letter,  I  am  forced  to  ask  you  to  forward 
it  to  him.  .  .  . 

When  I  had  the  short  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  I  had 
long  been  living  an  exceptional  life  of  incredible  pheno- 
mena, and  since  then  they  have  increased  beyond  any 
expectation  of  mine.  Do  not  think  that  any  early  acquaint- 
ance I  had  with  W.  Blake  can  have  led  to  it.  I  thought 
him  mad;  and,  after  I  left  England  in  1816,  I  heard  no 
more  of  him,  till  I  heard  that  Lord  Houghton  was  collect- 
ing his  works  at  a  great  expense !  I  had  picked  up  Blair's 
Grave,  and  five  little  engravings  by  Blake  himself  I  have 
very  lately  had  a  sight  of  his  Life  by  Gilchrist.  I  don't 
think  him  a  madman  now.  I  wonder  what  your  Brother 
thinks  he  was,  for  he  derides  spiritualism  towards  the  end 
of  that  book,  and  he  is  wrong.  Blake  was  an  honest  man, 
and  I  always  thought  so — but  his  sanity  seemed  doubtful 
because  he  could  only  give  his  word  for  the  truth  of  his 
visions.  There  were  no  other  proofs,  and  what  was  so 
incredible  required  the  most  perfect  proofs  ;  such  as,  with 
the  most  jealous,  scrupulous,  suspicious  investigation,  have 
been  for  eleven  years  by  me  directed  to  the  subject.  I 
have  been  secret  from  necessity  on  account  of  the  priests, 
and  never  cared  for  making  proselytes,  and  I  remembered 
the  advice — 

Sempre  a  quel  ver  ch'ha  faccia  di  menzogna 
De'  I'uom  chiuder  le  labbra  quant'ei  puote, 
Pero  che  senza  colpa  fa  vergogna,  etc. 

There  are  only  two  points  that  require  to  be  well 
watched  in  the  prodigies  of  modern  spiritualists — Fraud 
and  Hallucination.  Those  two  possibilities  I  have  never 
lost  sight  of,  and  I  have  rejected  all  theories  and  opinions, 
and  stuck  to  facts  only ;  from  which  my  most  searching 
attention  has  never  been  diverted  in  an  experience  of 
eleven  years,  of  which  I  have  kept  a  journal,  now  in  its 


172 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


7th  volume.  I  have  met  with  but  few  attempts  at  decep- 
tion, and  much  of  my  experience  has  been  in  the  presence 
of  plenty  of  responsible  and  competent  witnesses ;  so  that 
the  pretext  of  imagination  goes  for  nothing,  as  we  could 
not  all  be  dreaming  of  the  same  thing.  I  was  led  to  it  by 
magnetism.  I  neither  expected  it  nor  believed  in  it.  It 
was  for  my  deafness  alone,  as  I  have  told  K[eightley].  The 
incredible  cures  I  have  witnessed  are  too  long  to  be  written, 
— my  deafness  was  a  trifle.  Four  cases  of  cholera  of 
which  two  were  foudroyants,  in  twenty  minutes  cured.  An 
enormous  dropsy,  legs  as  big  as  my  body  and  arms  like 
sacks  of  water,  cured  in  a  night,  to  be  thinner  than  I  am. 
I  have  procured  visions  for  other  persons,  who  have  drawn 
them,  and  I  have  the  drawings  in  my  possession,  though  I 
have  never  succeeded  in  having  visions  myself  worth 
copying.  But  all  this  is  of  less  value  to  me  than  my 
knowledge  of  a  future  state,  and  a  better  than  this.  It 
makes  my  approaching  change  more  desirable  than  regret- 
table— perhaps  the  most  fortunate  moment  of  our  lives  is 
the  last.  As  for  Death,  we  never  die — we  could  not  if  we 
would :  a  sleep  of  about  twenty  minutes  seems  all  that 
intervenes  between  physical  and  spiritual  life.  "  The  rude 
forefathers  of  the  hamlet"  do  not  sleep.  The  last  of 
the  many  bodies  they  have  possessed  is  dispersed  under 
ground,  as  the  preceding  ones  were  in  the  air — converted 
to  gases,  liquids,  acids,  earths,  and  chemicals  of  all  sorts  ; 
and  we,  disencumbered  like  some  of  Blake's  visions,  are 
free,  and  as  happy  as  our  tempers  will  allow.  .  .  . — Ever 
yours, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 

Always  glad  to  hear  from  you. — When  you  see  A. 
Swinburne,  remember  me  to  him.  I  have  just  made  a 
sketch  of  Blake's  Three  Heroes  of  Camlan  from  memory, 
after  above  half  a  century.  It  was  his  masterpiece.  ...  I 
never  knew  that  you  cared  for  Blake — I  am  living  so  out 
of  the  world. 

Tom  Taylor  was  here.    I   never  knew  of  his  having 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1866 


173 


written  the  Life  of  my  great  friend  Haydon.  He  promised 
to  send  it  me,  but  he  forgot.  I  have  many  of  Haydon's 
letters,  and  I  have  many  of  your  Father's,  if  ever  you 
write  his  Life. 


113.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[A  part  of  this  letter  has  been  published  in  Mr  Ford 
Hueffer's  book.  Ford  Madox  Brown :  but,  thinking  the 
letter  worth  reading  as  a  whole,  I  give  it  insertion  here.  I 
am  not  sure  what  my  Brother  had  done  which  he  confesses 
to  be  wrong :  perhaps  he  had  spoken  of  Mrs  Brown  as  being 
an  unsafe  person  to  whom  to  confide  a  secret.  It  is  a  fact 
that,  if  one  told  anything  to  Brown,  he  generally  proceeded 
to  re-tell  it  to  his  wife — and  in  one  way  or  other  it  was  then 
the  apter  to  ooze  out.  Mrs  Brown  however  was  very  far 
from  being  a  tittle-tattle ;  and  in  especial  was  not  a  malicious 
tittle-tattle — quite  the  contrary. — Mr  Hine,  here  mentioned, 
was  the  excellent  water-colour  painter — taking  his  subjects 
very  frequently  from  the  Sussex  Downs.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
9  February  1866. 

My  dear  Brown, — I  feel  myself  to  have  been  without 
doubt  in  the  wrong,  and  can  only  most  sincerely  ask  your 
pardon.  Nothing  on  reflection  could  pain  me  more  (though 
certainly  I  did  so  in  a  way  to  which  I  ought  not  to  have 
been  blind)  than  to  inflict  the  slightest  pain  on  you,  whom  I 
regard  as  so  much  the  most  intimate  and  dearest  of  my 
friends  that  I  might  call  you  by  comparison  the  only  one  I 
have.  The  second  instance  of  my  offending  has  troubled  me 
ever  since,  though  it  escaped  my  mind  in  conversation  while 
we  remained  together,  else  I  should  certainly  have  said 
something  to  you  in  apology.  Since  then  I  have  been 
divided  between  the  idea  of  writing  to  you  and  the  un- 
willingness to  revive  an  unpleasant  topic  in  case  it  did  not 


174 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


possibly  dwell  so  much  in  your  mind  as  in  my  own.  1 
was  led  to  the  great  mistake  I  committed  by  the  sudden 
necessity  of  citing  some  one  in  argument,  and  the  fact  of 
the  name  having  already  been  once  mentioned.  This  was 
the  cause,  but  no  excuse.  As  to  the  first  instance,  in  which 
I  now  feel  I  was  wrong  also,  I  may  explain  that  I  regard 
all  women,  with  comparatively  few  exceptions,  as  being  so 
entirely  loose-tongued  and  unreliable  that  to  suggest  such 
qualities  in  one  does  not  seem  to  me  to  interfere  with  any 
respect  to  which  a  member  of  the  sex  is  likely  to  have 
any  just  pretension.  This  had  not  therefore  recurred  to 
me  in  the  way  the  other  did ;  though  now,  on  reflection, 
I  not  only  think  I  was  wrong  to  express  the  opinion,  but 
also  that  the  opinion  was  mistaken. 

To  refer  to  another  point  (having  said  all  that  seems 
possible  in  confession  of  how  much  I  was  to  blame),  I  may 
say  that  the  suggestion  of  any  possible  obligation  from  you 
to  me  seriously  distresses  me.  Not  because  I  think  you 
attribute  my  thoughtlessness  in  any  degree  to  such  a  view 
on  my  own  part,  for  of  that  you  acquit  me  by  word  as 
well  as,  I  should  in  any  case  have  known,  by  thought ; 
but  because,  if  you  can  disregard  (as  I  know  you  do)  the 
great  obligations  under  which  you  laid  me  in  early  life, 
and  which  were  real  ones  as  involving  real  trouble  to 
yourself  undertaken  for  the  sake  of  one  who  was  quite  a 
stranger  to  you  at  the  outset, — what  can  /  think  of  a 
matter  which  gives  me  no  trouble  whatever,  and  in  which 
were  I  inactive  I  should  sin  against  affection,  gratitude, 
and,  highest  of  all,  conviction  as  an  artist  ? 

In  conclusion,  I  have  no  right  to  say,  being  myself  the 
offender,  that  such  offence  cannot  disturb  our  friendship ; 
but,  after  the  sincerest  expression  of  regret,  I  may  thank 
you  for  having  said  what  will,  I  trust,  secure  me  absolutely 
against  so  offending  again. 

I  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  you  and  Hine  on  Tuesday 
evening,  when  William  will  be  here.  I  had  asked  Boyce 
to  come  since  seeing  you,  but  he  regrets  being  unable  to 
do  so,  saying  at  the  same  time  that  he  has  been  "  interested 


CHARLOTTE  POLIDORI,  1866 


175 


in  Hine's  work  for  many  years :  it  is  always  so  full  of 
point  and  originality,  excellent  choice  of  subject,  and  often 
much  poetry." — Ever  yours  affectionately, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


1 14.— Charlotte  Polidori — Memorandum. 

["The  organ-man  with  the  immense  bush  of  hair"  was 
Gaetano  Meo ;  who  had  from  the  first  a  certain  proclivity 
for  landscape-painting,  and  eventually  took  up  that  branch 
of  the  art  with  some  success.] 

1866,  February  20. —  I  saw  again  The  Girlhood  of  the 
Blessed  Virgi?z ;  in  which  Gabriel  has  changed  the  wings  of 
the  angel  from  white  to  a  deep  pink,  the  sleeves  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  from  yellow  to  brown.  .  .  .  The  Arundel 
Club,  where  would  be  exhibited  the  next  day,  for  one  day 
only.  The  Beloved.  I  heard  Gabriel  observe  to  a  friend,  on 
showing  him  his  first  picture  The  GirUiood  etc.,  that  it  was 
painted  timidly.  I  heard  him  also  say  that  models  were 
disappointing ;  that,  what  from  fatigue  or  such-like,  they 
looked  worst  just  when  wanted  to  look  best.  That  they 
suffer  from  sitting,  particularly  if  consumptive.  That  the 
organ-man  with  the  immense  bush  of  hair  would  play  his 
organ  and  tire  himself  on  his  way  to  him  ;  and  that,  though 
he  offered  to  pay  him  more  for  leaving  his  organ  behind, 
he  would  bring  it  and  hide  it,  and  then  go  off  with  it  on 
his  back.  The  negro  in  The  Beloved  he,  G[abriel],  first  saw 
at  the  door  of  an  hotel.  When  he  asked  him  if  he  would 
sit  to  him,  he  was  referred  to  his  master.  Whilst  sitting 
the  tears  would  run  down  his  cheeks  :  the  skin,  as  if  it 
absorbed  them  as  blotting-paper,  would  look  darker.  When 
not  sitting  he  was  accustomed  to  be  most  active,  running 
and  jumping  etc.  G[abriel]  suggested  that  he  might  be 
thinking  about  his  Mammy.  .  .  . 


176 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


115.— Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[Winwood  Reade  is  probably — and  certainly  ought  to 
be — remembered  as  author  of  a  remarkable  book,  The 
Martyrdom  of  Man.  The  book  about  the  "  young  peasant- 
girl"  who  acted  as  a  clairvoyante  came  into  my  hands. 
Her  name  was  Assunta  Orsini,  and  the  statements  con- 
cerning her  were  surprising  enough. — The  allegation  that 
my  Father's  works  were  excluded  by  Panizzi  from  the 
British  Museum  Library  is,  I  take  it,  entirely  erroneous. 
— As  to  Kirkup's  rupture  with  Mr  Charles  Lyell,  I  need 
not  enter  into  details,  beyond  saying  that  it  arose  (as 
indeed  he  partly  implies)  out  of  the  Dantesque  studies  of 
my  Father.  Lyell  and  Kirkup  were  only  known  to  one 
another  by  correspondence. — The  portrait  of  my  Father 
done  by  Liverati  is  in  my  possession,  and  must  have  been 
moderately  like  him  at  the  age  represented. — The  comment 
of  my  Father  upon  Dante's  Purgatorio  (barring  some  few 
cantos)  was  found  in  our  possession,  and  was  given  by  me 
to  the  Municipality  of  his  native  Vasto  in  1883,  when  a 
centenary  celebration  of  his  birth  was  held  there.  A 
Comment  on  the  Paradiso,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  was 
never  written  by  him.  Also  I  hardly  suppose  that  my 
Father  wrote  a  "  Comment "  (in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the 
term)  on  Francesco  Colonna's  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphili. 
He  regarded  the  book  as  a  libro  inistico,  and  probably 
wrote  something  about  it,  to  be  introduced  into  one  of 
his  volumes.] 

2  PoNTE  Vecchio,  Florence. 
27  February  1866. 

My  dear  Friend, —  .  .  .  Somnambules  have  great  amour 
propre^  and  are  apt  to  guess  when  at  a  loss.  My  first 
lesson  in  training  them  is,  "  Tell  the  truth,  and  say  non 
vedo.''  *    They  soon  get  over  it.    They  see  a  great  deal 

^  I  don't  see, 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1866 


177 


more  than  we  do,  but  not  everything ;  and  the  spirits 
themselves  own  that  they  are  not  omniscient.  Many 
mediums  in  America  are  seers  without  magnetism — as  my 
friend  Home,  the  greatest  medium  yet  known.  The 
Davenports  I  do  not  know ;  but  my  opinion  is  that  they 
are  honest,  and  have  been  very  ill  used  in  England  and 
France.  Winwood  Reade,  whom  our  friend  Swinburne  sent 
to  me,  went  twenty  times  to  the  Davenports,  and  is  con- 
vinced there  is  no  deception ;  and  R[eade]  is  a  clever  man, 
and  has  seen  much  of  the  world.  The  jugglers  in  France 
pretend  to  perforin  the  tricks,  but  they  never  have.  .  .  . 

When  I  was  at  the  height  of  my  spiritual  phenomena 
(which  are  much  diminished  now)  there  were  three  parties 
who  published  their  different  theories,  i.  The  book  of  the 
first  party,  RechercJies  psychologiques,  on  Correspondance  sur 
le  Magnetisme  Vital  avec  M.  Deleuze,  par  le  Docteur  Billot, 
was  in  favour  of  the  existence  of  good  spirits  ;  printed  in 
Paris  1839,  in  2  vols.  8vo.  It  is  that  to  which  my  own 
experience  agrees.  .  .  . 

Before  the  Revolution  I  kept  it  a  secret  even  from  my 
medium  Regina  (who  knew  nothing  when  awake),  for  fear 
of  the  priests  who  were  omnipotent,  worse  than  at  Rome ; 
now  all  religions  are  alike  respected,  and  Protestantism  is 
increasing,  which  is  one  step ;  but  there  are  plenty  of 
bigots,  as  in  France.  I  believe  spiritualists  are  very  scarce 
in  Florence.  The  only  authentic  case  I  ever  heard  of  was 
that  of  a  young  peasant-girl  about  three  miles  off ;  and  it 
was  patronized  by  some  priests  who  treated  her  as  a  saint, 
and  one  of  them  wrote  an  account  of  it,  giving  it  the 
colouring  of  his  trade.  But  the  facts  themselves  are  very 
positive ;  and  I  not  only  saw  her  myself  but  I  knew 
many  of  the  parties  mentioned  in  the  book,  which  seems 
written  conscientiously ;  and  I  will  send  it  you,  as  it  is 
well-written  and  well-meaning.  They  killed  the  poor  girl 
among  them.  .  .  . 

I  believe  I  have  pretty  well  exhausted  my  recollections 
of  poor  Blake  in  what  I  wrote  to  Swinburne.  It  is  so  long 
ago,  and  I  was  ignorant  enough  to  think  him  mad  at  the 

M 


178 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


time,  and  neglected  sadly  the  opportunities  the  Buttses 
threw  in  my  way.  I  only  heard  of  him  as  engraving- 
master  to  my  old  schoolfellow  Tommy.  They  (Butts)  did 
not  seem  to  value  him  as  we  do  now.  I  was  of  the 
opposite  party  of  colourists,  and  still  a  great  admirer  of 
Flaxman,  Fuseli,  and  Stothard,  who  had  infinitely  more 
power  in  drawing  than  Blake.  The  two  former  were 
really  my  friends.  Still,  the  impression  which  Blake's 
Anciejit  Britons  made  on  me  (above  all  others)  was  so 
strong  that  I  can  answer  for  the  truth  of  my  sketch,  as 
will  be  proved  if  the  picture  is  ever  found.  .  .  .  Blake  had 
but  little  effect  in  the  works  that  I  remember.  I  should 
have  liked  the  heads  more  British  and  less  Grecian.  .  .  . 

As  to  the  British  Museum,  I  was  told  that  no  one  of 
your  Father's  glorious  works  was  admitted  by  that  beast 
Panizzi — works  that  contain  more  poetic  criticism,  as  well 
as  philosophic  discoveries,  than  all  that  had  been  done  for 
Dante  in  five  centuries !  I  quarrelled  with  Lyell  for  not 
being  staunch  or  consistent.  .  .  .  Remember,  if  you  and 
your  good  brother  ever  publish  anything  about  your 
Father,  whose  life  was  adventurous  from  1821,  when  I 
was  in  Naples  (I  did  not  know  him  then),  I  have  many 
of  his  letters  which  are  always  at  your  service.  I  have  a 
portrait-sketch  of  him  by  C.  E.  Liverati,  made  in  his 
younger  days. 

Your  admirable  translation  of  the  Inferno^  which  you 
so  kindly  gave  me,  I  have  often  consulted,  to  see  what 
your  interpretation  is  of  the  original.  Blank  verse  is  the 
best.  .  .  .  Lord  Vernon  attempted  a  prose-translation 
(not  readable),  and  it  was  fortunately  never  finished.  It 
was  to  have  been  a  large  8vo  volume ;  but  it  grew  (the 
Inferno  alone),  by  the  continual  addition  of  tedious 
nonsense,  to  the  size  of  4  volumes  large  folio ;  and  there 
it  is  after  twenty-five  years  thrown  aside,  apparently  for 
good. 

I  should  be  sorry  to  deprive  you  of  Haydon's  Life, 
and  I  know  of  no  opportunity  of  sending  it.  Eastlake 
wrote  to  me  that  it  was  intensely  interesting ;  by  which  I 


ROBERT  BROWNING,  1866 


179 


guessed  that  T.  Taylor  had  written  under  the  direction 
of  H[aydon]'s  greatest  enemy,  as  his  letters  to  me  prove, 
in  which  he  always  calls  E[astlake]  "  the  Jesuit."  H[aydon] 
was  the  greatest  designer  in  Europe,  far  before  David. 
He  was  founded  on  Phidias.  There  was  a  controversy 
in  TJie  Examiner  between  him  and  the  Hunts  under  the 
title  of  Negro  Faculties^  in  which  the  theory  of  ideal  form 
is  discussed,  that  ought  to  be  printed  for  the  benefit  of 
art  and  science.  It  was  about  1815.  .  .  . — Affectionately 
yours, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 

.  .  .  Would  you  like  to  know  Home?  I  fear  he  has 
become  a  paid  medium.  He  has  been  ten  years  independent, 
but  I  hear  he  is  very  poor.  We  were  great  friends  a  long 
time  ago. 

The  works  that  seem  lost  according  to  my  letters  are 
the  Purgatorio  and  Paradiso,  two  parts  of  the  Beatrice^ 
and  the  comment  on  Poliphilo  of  Colonna.  .  .  . 


116.— Robert  Browning  to  William  Rossettl 

[Thomas  Dixon,  the  Cork-cutter,  a  highly  laudable  but 
sometimes  inconvenient  man,  has  been  mentioned  by  me 
elsewhere.  He  had  sent  to  Browning  the  Life  of  Thomas 
Bewick  and  another  book,  asking  that  they  might  be 
eventually  transferred  to  me.] 

19  Warwick  Crescent,  Upper  Westbourne  Terrace. 
29  March  1866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  get  from  time  to  time  letters 
from  "  Thomas  Dixon,  57  Nile  Street,  Sunderland,"  who 
chooses  to  write  them  and  embarrass  me :  he  sends  books 
as  "  presents  " — thinking  there  is  a  lack  of  that  commodity 
in  London,  apparently.  And  I  don't  like  to  hurt  his 
feelings  because,  from  sundry  peculiar  bits  of  spelling  and 
other  epistolary  infelicities  in  a  mild  way,  I  suppose  him 


180 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


to  need  indulgence.  He  now  sends  two  books — but  I  will 
let  him  say  his  own  say.  You  see,  I  am  in  no  condition 
to  guess  whether  he  knows  you,  or  does  not  know ; 
[whether  you]  will  be  pleased  with  his  "  loan,"  or  bothered, 
as  I  own  myself  to  be.  But,  on  the  whole,  let  each  bear 
his  own  burden  ;  and  so,  as  bidden,  I  pass  on  the  thing  to 
you,  really  having  no  alternative.  What  you  will  do  in 
turn  I  shall  not  concern  myself  with :  only,  I  entreat, 
don't  return  them  to  me  —  who  moreover  will  go  out  of 
London  for  the  next  fortnight. — Very  truly  yours  ever, 

Robert  Browning. 


.117. — Horace  Scudder  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  name  of  Mr  Scudder,  as  an  author  and  editor, 
is  well  known  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Dr  Chivers 
was  an  American  verse-writer  who  produced  in  1845  ^ 
curious  volume  entitled  The  Lost  Pleiad,  and  other  Poems. 
My  Brother  read  it  soon  afterwards  (so  did  I),  and  was  much 
amused  at  a  certain  combination  of  helter-skelter  fervour  and 
profusion,  and  of  oddity,  which  marked  its  pages.  I  still 
possess  the  volume. — The  brochure  by  a  friend  of  Whitman 
was  that  by  Mr  W.  D.  O'Connor  named  The  Good  Grey  Poet. 
— Whether  Mr  Scudder  did  or  did  not  bring  out  his  pro- 
posed book  about  Blake  I  hardly  recollect  now.] 

9  Brookline  Street,  Boston. 
24  April  1866. 

My  dear  Sir, — Since  my  return  to  America  in  November 
last  I  have  kept  in  mind  a  request  of  your  Brother's  that  I 
should  find  out  something  about  the  astonishing  Chivers — a 
poet  in  spite  of  his  name  ;  but,  though  I  have  asked  Professor 
Lowell  and  Mr  Fields,  both  of  whom  had  had  correspondence 
with  him,  they  could  tell  me  nothing  beyond  the  fact  that  he 
was  a  Georgian  by  birth  (American,  not  Asian  Georgia), 
but  recently  was  living  at  Washington.    Further  productions 


HORACE  SCUDDER,  1866 


181 


may  no  doubt  be  expected,  for  Fields  declared  that  one  of 
his  letters  mentioned  a  poem  on  which  he  was  engaged  "  of 
the  size  of  Paradise  Lost!'  So  you  see  what  is  before  you. 
Fields  irreverently  described  him  moreover  as  a  bore  whose 
foolscap-letters — the  poet  always  using  that  style  of  paper — 
he  had  unfortunately  destroyed  ;  for  he  began  to  think  that 
they  possessed  a  value  aside  from  that  intended  by  the 
author.  Mr  Lowell  told  me  that  Chivers  had  sent  him  his 
poetry,  and  he  had  presented  half  of  the  volumes  to  the 
Harvard  Library.  He  thought  him  rather  a  droll  illustra- 
tion of  the  shell  of  Shelley.  I  have  tried  in  vain  to  get  hold 
of  his  books.  Somebody  else  must  be  on  his  trail — if  it  is 
not  the  doctor  himself — for  one  of  our  most  knowing  second- 
hand booksellers  told  me  that  he  had  been  enquired  after  at 
his  store. 

Have  you  seen  Walt  Whitman's  Drum  Taps?  It  is 
just  possible  that  you  have  not ;  and  I  will  take  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded  by  a  friend's  going  to  London  to  send  you 
a  copy,  and  also  a  brochure  of  a  very  enthusiastic  friend  of 
his — known  for  the  author  of  a  spasmodic  anti-slavery  novel, 
Harrington^  published  about  the  same  time  as  Leaves  of 
Grass  by  same  publishers.  The  pamphlet  will  perhaps  give 
you  some  information  respecting  Whitman  :  certainly  I  can 
add  nothing,  except  to  say  that  you  will  see  in  Thoreau's 
Letters  an  account  of  his  visit  to  the  poet,  and  the  estima- 
tion in  which  he  held  him,  I  do  not  think  that  Mr  Lincoln's 
death  brought  out  any  nobler  expression  of  the  personal 
grief  of  the  best  natures  in  the  country  than  "  O  Captain, 
my  Captain  !  "  The  lonely  grief  of  the  poet  in  the  strong 
contrast  which  he  presents  was  really  that  felt  by  all.  I 
have  but  lately  got  the  volume  ;  and,  although  I  do  not  believe 
that  any  new  American  poetry  is  to  be  established  on  a 
reckless  disregard  of  natural  laws  of  rhythm,  simply  because 
such  laws  have  produced  conventional  rules,  I  think  that  no 
one  else  has  caught  so  rarely  the  most  elusive  elements  of 
American  civilization. 

But  my  real  object  in  troubling  you  with  this  letter  is 
to  speak  of  my  intentions  with  regard  to  a  Life  of  Blake. 


182 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


As  an  announcement  has  been  made  in  one  of  our  literary 
journals  that  I  am  engaged  on  a  Life,  and  is  likely  therefore 
to  attract  notice  in  some  English  paper  (from  the  subject 
being  properly  an  English  one),  I  wish  to  speak  frankly  to 
you  of  my  intention.  I  do  not  propose  to  attempt  any- 
thing that  shall  aim  to  supplant  Gilchrist's  Life^  but  simply 
to  present  a  portion  of  the  material  there  gathered  in  a  new 
form,  to  American  readers.  I  am  led  to  do  this  from  my 
strong  interest  in  Blake,  and  from  my  desire  that  he  should 
be  made  more  familiar  to  my  countrymen  than  is  possible 
under  existing  circumstances.  .  .  .  My  work  will,  I  presume, 
be  more  properly  called  "  A  Biographic  Study  or  Sketch  "  than 
Life,  and  will  be  distinctly  set  forth  as  based  on  Gilchrist's 
work.  .  .  .  — Sincerely  yours, 

Horace  E.  Scudder. 


1 1 8. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  opening  passage  in  this  letter  relates  to  my  Father's 
book,  //  Mistero  deW  Amor  Platonico,  put  into  print;  but 
withheld  from  publication  at  the  urgency  of  his  excellent 
friend  the  Right  Honourable  John  Hookham  Frere,  who 
considered  the  work  dangerous  to  the  cause  of  religion, 
and  very  likely  moreover  to  injure  the  author's  professional 
position  in  England.  The  remark  of  "the  French  beast" 
in  Florence  (Vieusseux)  means  "By  Rossetti?  His  old 
style ! " — Kirkup  here  names  some  of  his  old  friends,  most 
of  whom  he  had  outlived  (but  not  Trelawny,  though  this 
name  occurs  in  the  list).  By  "  Brown  "  he  means  the  Charles 
Armitage  Brown  who  was  an  intimate  of  Keats ;  by  Roberts, 
Captain  Roberts,  who  had  been  concerned  in  the  building 
of  the  boat  in  which  Shelley  went  down. — The  Italian 
passage  quoted  from  Professor  Maggi,  interspersed  as  it  is 
with  French,  will  probably  offer  little  difficulty  to  the  reader: 
the  pamphlet  by  Aroux  about  Francesca  da  Rimini  must 
be  a  curiosity,  unknown  to  me  save  by  this  statement.] 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  186G 


183 


2  PONTE  VECCHIO,  FLORENCE. 

24  April  1866. 

My  dear  Sir,  let  me  say  P>iend, — Rossetti  is  a  name 
which  has  long  sounded  so  to  me.  What  you  tell  me  of 
H.  Frere  is  a  proof  of  his  anxious  friendship  for  your  dear 
Father,  but  likewise  of  the  timidity  of  his  character,  proved 
by  his  failure  in  diplomacy.  He  was  however  a  good  man 
and  very  learned.  .  .  .  But,  when  your  Father  had  left  the 
K[ing's]  College,  what  other  pressure  was  there  to  prevent  his 
obtaining  the  reward  of  so  great  and  interesting  a  labour  of 
utility  and  taste,  of  learning  and  years  of  study  ?  He  sent  a 
copy  of  it  through  me  to  the  Reading-room  in  Florence  ; 
and,  when  I  gave  it  to  the  French  beast  its  master,  all  he 
said  was  "  Di  Rossetti  ?  Le  sue  solite  !  "  I  cut  the  ill-bred 
ignorant  fellow,  and  never  spoke  to  him  afterwards.  The 
Jesuits  were  at  work  then  :  I  happened  to  see  his  catalogue 
some  years  after,  and  it  was  not  in  it.  ...  I  persuaded  Lord 
Vernon  to  print  the  rest  of  the  Beatrice  for  him  ;  but  they 
differed  about  some  trifles  about  the  type,  which  I  regretted, 
and  so  it  is  lost,  I  suppose  for  good.  .  .  . 

The  artists  in  Florence  have  mostly  disappeared.  There 
is  not  one  native  patron.  All  the  young  nobles  are  ignorant 
and  vicious.  .  .  . 

A  few  English  friends  .  .  .  retained  me  here  when  I 
came  to  change  the  air  after  the  Roman  fever.  I  have  out- 
lived them  almost  all — Hunt,  Brown,  Trelawny,  Medwin, 
Roberts,  Severn,  Landor:  I  was  too  late  to  see  Byron  and 
Shelley.  .  .  . 

My  own  celebrated  medium  Regina  began  .  .  .  with  her 
guardian  angel,  whose  name  was  Isacco,  and  who  appeared 
as  a  child ;  and  continues  so  to  my  daughter,  whose  life  I 
believe  he  saved  in  the  whooping-cough,  and  his  orders  were 
contrary  to  the  doctor's !  We  continue  our  extra-mundane 
communications.  She  saw  Dante  lately,  and  so  did  another 
medium  who  was  here,  and  he  gave  us  some  interesting 
notices.    I  hope  to  get  more.  .  .  . 

A  letter  from  Professor  P.  G.  Maggi  (an  old  friend  who 
lives  at  Milan),  which  I  have  just  found  amongst  some  papers^ 


184 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


is  dated  January  1863,  and  contains  the  following:  .  .  . 
"  L'Aroux  poi,  che  secondo  taluno  possederebbe  cose  inedite 
di  esso  Rossetti,  e  I'autore  di  un  opuscolo,  Dmtte  Hcretique^ 
Ri^volutionaire^  et  Socialiste ;  d'un  altro,  L'Hhrsie  de  Dante 
demo7itree  par  Francesca  de  Rimini,  devenue  un  moyen  de  pro- 
pagande  Vaudoise,  etc.  ;  d'una  traduzione  in  versi  della 
Comedia  ch'egli  intende  o  fa  intendere  d'avere  comnientee 
selon  r esprit'  ;  e  d'altre  cose.  II  secondo  opuscolo,  che  tengo 
sul  tavolino,  fu  pubblicato  nel  1857  in  Parigi  dalla  libreria 
di  Madame  Veuve  Jules  Renouard."  .  .  .  — Sincerely  yours, 

S.  KiRKUP. 


119. — William  Rossetti — Diary. 

1866.  Saturday,  19  May. — This  has  been  almost  the 
first  fully  summer-like  day,  and  is  delightfully  warm  and 
sunny.    Embarked  at  Newhaven  at  nightfall. 

Sujiday,  20  May —  .  .  .  Came  on  to  Paris  .  .  .  Went  in 
the  evening  to  see  the  Biche  au  Bois,  which  has  had  so 
surprising  a  run  at  the  Porte  St  Martin  (I  suppose  i  \  year 
or  so).  It  is  very  lavishly  indeed  got  up.  .  .  .  After  some 
symptoms  of  harpyism  on  the  part  of  the  female  boxkeepers, 
I  was  agreeably  surprised  at  one  of  them  coming  back  to 
return  me  a  half  Napoleon  which  I  had  given  by  mistake 
instead  of  a  half  franc.  .  .  . 

Monday,  21  May. — .  .  .  Went  to  the  Salon  of  Paintings 
etc.,  which  (so  far  as  I  have  gone  through  it,  about  half) 
seems  below  the  mark.  Three  interesting  works  are 
Briguiboul's  Castor  and  Pollux,  Faruffini's  Machiavel  and 
Ccesar  Borgia,  and  Pille's  Diike  of  Saxony  after  Condemnation 
to  DeatJi  contimiing  his  Game  at  Chess.  Both  the  latter  two 
artists  are  new,  as  far  as  my  recollection  goes,  and  must  do 
remarkable  works,  from  a  considerable  fund  of  artistic  verve 
and  spicialitL  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  22  May —  .  .  .  Finished  with  the  general  annual 
exhibition,  finding  two  very  fine  works  by  Courbet.    One  of 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  18GG 


185 


these  is  expected  to  obtain  the  grande  m^daillc ;  though 
the  two  works  in  competition  with  it  (according  to  the 
newspapers)  show  that  a  very  bad  range  of  taste  prevails 
in  powerful  quarters  ;  one  of  them  being  a  horrid  Christ 
avi07ig  the  Doctors  by  Ribot,  and  the  other,  by  Bonnat,  St 
Vincent  de  Paul  taking  the  Galley-Convicf s  Place,  being  a 
commonplace  though  somewhat  masterly  sort  of  thing.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  23  May. — Looked  into  Notre  Dame,  and 
found  the  decorations  of  the  chapels  pretty  well  finished. 
Now  that  this  is  done,  though  perhaps  scarcely  a  line  or  a 
colour  of  these  decorations  is  artistically  right,  the  Church 
certainly  looks  more  itself,  and  one  sees  a  kind  of  reason  in 
the  system  of  renovation  ;  which  has  got  rid  of  a  good 
deal  of  rococo  and  other  rubbishy  accretion,  and  has  brought 
the  building  into  harmony  with  itself, — if  indeed  mechanical 
pretence  at  mediaevalism  were  harmony  with  the  great  work 
of  mediaevalism  itself  .  .  . 

Saturday,  26  May. — Arrived  in  Marseilles  soon  after  7  A.M. 
.  .  .  Went  to  the  Jardin  Zoologique,  where  lizards  are  as 
plentiful  as  blackberries  :  I  also  saw  a  big  locust  flying  about, 
and  hardly  knew  at  first  whether  he  was  bird  or  insect. 
There  is  a  very  grand  elephant,  who  made  an  unprovoked 
assault  upon  me  as  I  stood  close  up  to  his  bar  before  offering 
him  the  bread  I  held.  He  thrust  his  trunk  into  my  face  ; 
wound  it  round  my  neck,  knocking  my  hat  off ;  and  I 
scarcely  know  why  he  didn't  strangle  me  outright  while  he 
was  about  it.  He  afterwards  accepted  my  bread  without 
further  demonstrations.  There  are  two  blue-faced  baboons 
here  :  also  two  lions, — one  of  which  not  long  ago  got  out 
of  his  cage  through  some  careless  fumbling  of  a  visitor,  and 
walked  about  with  visitors  in  the  garden,  but  without  offering 
harm  to  anybody,  and  was  without  difficulty  got  back  into 
the  cage  by  his  keeper.  This  was  told  me  by  a  female 
keeper ;  who,  on  my  afterwards  remarking  that  we  had  in 
London  a  collection  with  many  more  animals,  explained  that 
by  England's  being  so  much  nearer  to  Africa  !  A  man 
brought  a  young  hyaena,  eighteen  days  old,  "  doux  covnne 
un  chien  "  (which  he  really  appeared  to  be  on  my  handling 


RQSSETTI  PAPERS 


him),  and  recommended  him  warmly  to  me  as  a  desirable 
investment.  .  .  . 

Stmday,  27  May. — Embarked  in  the  morning  on  board 
the  General  Abbatucci  iox  Naples.  .  .  .  The  effect,  in  the  late 
afternoon  and  onwards,  of  a  low  line  of  clouds  along  the 
sea-horizon,  in  front  of  the  cliffs  of  the  coast,  was  very 
interesting,  and  I  don't  know  that  I  had  seen  it  before. 

In  blue  and  sheeny  surface  rolls  the  sea 
Mediterranean,  and  the  coast  of  France, 
A  wall  of  crumpled  swaying  cliffs  askance, 
Dim  in  sun-dimness  lies  prolongingly. 
Overhead  azure,  rimmed  with  clouds  which  flee 
No  whit,  but  hardly  altered  meet  the  glance 
From  the  hour's  end  to  end,  a  cognizance 
Which  crests  the  cliffs  as  they  the  waves.    And  we 
Smoothly  and  firmly  from  the  morn  till  now, 
When  sidelong  sunbeams  heat  the  afternoon, 
With  freshness  and  with  leisure  cleave  our  way  : 
And  on  and  onward  through  the  sun  and  moon, 
With  first  a  sea-gull  flitting,  next  a  prow. 
Our  steam  shall  change  Marseilles  to  Genoa. 

Mo7iday,  28  May. — Landed  about  5  A.M.  in  Genoa,  and 
was  discomfited  by  a  seccatore,^  Belgian-Yankee,  who  could 
not  be  staved  off  from  going  on  shore  and  about  with  me ; 
along  with  a  Breton-Frenchman,  whose  company,  though  I 
would  willingly  have  dispensed  with  it,  I  did  not  otherwise 
dislike.  Soon  after  landing  we  were  joined  by  two  other 
fellow-passengers,  a  Lombard  of  cosmopolitan  habits,  and 
an  elderly  Frenchman,  both  of  whom  were  good  company 
enough.  ,  .  .  One  of  the  first  things  we  had  seen  in  the 
morning  was  a  boatful  of  Garibaldini ;  who,  as  we  learned 
talking  to  a  knot  of  them,  were  (this  batch)  all  from  Palermo, 
and  en  route  to  Como — many  of  them  the  merest  lads,  and 
some,  I  should  think,  not  yet  fifteen.  (I  am  told  too  by  an 
Italian  boatman  that  various  women  were  among  them.)  Vol- 
unteers are  being  forwarded  thus  every  day  (I  saw  a  printed 
Bore. 

+  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  year  1866  was  that  in  which  Prussia 
and  Italy,  as  allies,  fought  against  Austria.  The  Italians,  taken  singly, 
were  not  successful,  but  the  liberation  of  Venetia  was  effected, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  18G6 


187 


proclamation  limiting  their  daily  enrolments),  and  some  50 
or  60  thousand  are  spoken  of  as  already  gone  North.  Gari- 
baldi's own  whereabouts  was  not  clear  to  my  Palermitans  : 
some  supposed  him  at  Caprera,  others  at  Florence,  and  the 
rumour  ran  that  he  was  to  be  at  Genoa  to-morrow  (Tuesday). 
Saw  also  the  military  initiation  of  a  number  of  very  raw 
recruits  at  one  end  of  the  town.  .  .  .  Took  a  cab  and  went 
to  .  .  .  San  Matteo,  one  of  the  oldest  churches  of  Genoa, 
with  a  deal  of  sculpture  by  Montorsoli ;  of  which  a  good 
deal  is  more  or  less  good,  while  one  group,  the  Madorma 
with  dead  Christ,  is  extraordinarily  fine — indeed,  I  think, 
one  of  the  cJiefs-d'ceuvre  of  modern  sculpture.  .  .  .  Palazzi 
Brignole-Sale,  Durazzo,  and  Doria.  The  two  former  have 
many  fine  pictures ;  in  the  second  is  a  large  life-sized  Van- 
dyck,  called  merely  Una  Dania  e  due  Putti^  which  is  quite 
extraordinary, — I  think  on  the  whole  the  greatest  of  all  his 
works  I  know.  .  .  .  Later  in  the  evening  saw  at  another 
book-seller's  two  copies  of  Carducci's  Selection  from  my 
Father's  poems,  and  asked  whether  the  book  sold  much ; 
which  the  shop-keeper  told  me  it  did,  being  sought  after  for 
its  agreeable  and  choice  Italian,  among  other  qualities.  .  .  . 

TiLesday,  29  May. — Landed  at  Leghorn  towards  6  A.M., 
having  the  day  before  me  till  4  P.M.  .  .  .  Many  volunteers 
are  leaving  from  here  also,  of  whom  a  good  number  were 
going  through  the  streets  to  the  railway-station  in  the  morn- 
ing. Plenty  of  sympathy  and  company  for  them  ;  but  no 
cheers  or  strong  demonstrations,  though  they  belong  to 
Leghorn  itself  .  .  . 

Thursday,  31  May, — After  sleeping  on  board  till  about 
six,  landed  in  Naples.  A  rainy  day  as  soon  as  I  got  housed 
in  the  Hotel  de  Russie,  in  the  Santa  Lucia  quarter.  .  .  . 

Friday,  i  June. —  .  .  .  Returned  to  the  Museum.  .  .  . 
Getting  to  talk  with  one  of  the  attendants  in  the  sculpture- 
department,  I  informed  him  who  my  Father  was  ;  f  and  he 
spoke  to  another  of  the  attendants  named  Albertis  (or  De 

*  A  lady  and  two  children. 

t  I.e.,  that  he  was  Gabriele  Rossetti,  who  had  in  his  early  manhood 
been  custodian  of  that  same  department. 


188 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Albertis),  who  entered  into  conversation,  saying  that  his 
Father  had  known  mine  well,  and  asking  with  interest  whether 
he  ever  became  blind.  He  says  there  was  some  employe 
who  had  a  portrait  of  my  Father  done  during  his  stay  in 
Naples  ;  *  but,  on  making  enquiry  at  my  request,  he  found 
it  had  been  taken  away  by  the  owner's  son  or  representative. 
He  says  there  is  a  book  of  the  Poesie  Inedite  with  a  portrait 
to  be  got  in  shops  on  the  Molo.  I  found  in  another  shop  a 
collection,  new  to  me,  by  Di  Stefano  (without  portrait),  and 
a  Paris  edition  of  the  Roma,  both  which  1  bought.  In  the 
evening  walked  out  through  the  grounds  of  the  Villa  Reale, 
and  on  to  the  entrance  of  the  Grotto  of  Posilipo,  returning 
by  the  Riviera  di  Chiaia,  and  going  on  to  the  port  and 
lighthouse,  and  thence  home.  An  out-of-doors  Punch  was 
going  on — the  voice  of  the  personage  precisely  the  same  as 
in  London ;  and  the  sort  of  action  seems  much  the  same 
{i.e.,  Punch  knocking  other  people  about),  but  the  costume 
is  that  of  the  Neapolitan  Punch.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  2  JtLne. —  .  .  .  Started  off  towards  the  East 
and  South  lines  of  streets ;  but,  getting  embarrassed  in 
them,  returned  home  in  a  cab.  There  is  a  tremendous 
amount  of  life  in  Naples : — crowds  flooding  the  principal 
streets  on  and  off  the  footways  (where  such  exist),  children 
lying  about  on  the  pavements  or  roadways,  and  everybody 
taking  it  easy  or  doing  it  lively.  As  I  sit  writing  this  at  my 
hotel-window,  which  overlooks  a  rude  pier,  I  see  numbers  of 
youths,  say  from  twelve  to  eighteen  years  old,  running  about 
thereon  as  naked  as  they  were  born,  before  or  after  bathing, 
within  lo  or  20  feet  of  the  onlookers  on  the  foot-path.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  3  June. —  .  .  .  Took  a  cab,  intending  to  see  some 
churches.  Entered  San  Domenico,  and  find  fully  confirmed 
what  Murray  says  of  the  fine  mediaeval  sculptured  monu- 
ments of  Naples.  Some  of  the  recumbent  effigies  and  slab- 
tombs  here  are  about  the  finest  things  I  know  in  that  very 
noble  style.  Was  turned  out  by  the  necessity  of  closing 
the  church  before  I  had  seen  one-third  of  it.     This  is  a 

^  Possibly  this  may  have  been  a  miniature  rather  theatrically  treated, 
which  at  a  later  date  was  purchased  by  Christina  and  myself. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1866  189 


pest  which  travellers — or  at  any  rate  I — don't  sufficiently 
reflect  about,  and  which  frequently  persecutes  me.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  5  June. —  .  .  .  Saw  the  Church  of  Monte  Oliveto, 
and  that  of  Santa  Chiara ;  both  full  of  splendid  mediaeval 
tombs,  about  the  finest  things  in  that  line  in  Europe,  and 
other  sculpture.  The  pavements  of  figured  tiles,  and  occa- 
sionally mosaic  as  in  St  Mark's  of  Venice,  also  full  of 
excellence.  In  Monte  Oliveto  saw  a  curious  thing,  a  priest 
confessing  a  deaf  and  dumb  woman,  of  course  all  by  action  ; 
but  for  convena7tce,  one  would  have  liked  to  watch  the 
actions,  no  doubt  most  expressive  in  this  gesticulating 
country.  Could  not  get  to  see  the  great  Gothic  monument 
in  Santa  Chiara  to  King  Robert,  which  one  has  to  mount 
a  ladder  behind  the  high  altar  to  look  at.  I  notice  in 
several  monuments  a  peculiarity  (query  whether  so  origin- 
ally) which  gives  one  all  the  completer  view  of  the  effigies, 
but  injures  the  sense  of  repose  and  fitness — the  figures  are 
represented  sometimes  sideways,  so  that  they  would  slide 
off,  or,  in  slab-figures,  set  flush  with  the  wall.  There  is 
one  most  splendid  work  thus,  set  up  to  a  man  and  his 
wife,  the  latter  being  the  slab-figure ;  nothing  more  per- 
fectly felt  exists.  Also  in  Monte  Oliveto  a  most  heavenly 
monument  to  Mary,  the  natural  daughter  of  one  of  the 
Aragonese  kings.  Indeed,  these  sort  of  works  are  so  fine 
and  frequent  that  Naples  is  most  grossly  belied  by  people 
who  fancy  it  rather  barren  than  otherwise  in  point  of  art, 
as  Scott  had  been  prompted.  .  .  .  Here  is  a  good  epitaph, 
rather  Pagan-sounding,  from  Monte  Oliveto :  "  Fui  non  sum 
— estis  non  eritis — nemo  immortalis."  .  .  . 

Sunday,  10  June. —  ...  I  am  assured  that  Naples  is 
very  sensibly  improved  in  point  of  cleanliness  since  the 
advent  of  Victor  Emmanuel,  before  which  it  must  have 
been  Bohemian  indeed  ;  also  that  the  material  well-being 
of  the  people,  price  of  ordinary  and  skilled  labour,  etc.,  are 
greatly  bettered  ;  and  my  informants  are  Sim*  and  others 

Dr  Robert  Sim.  He  had  known  Mr  Holman-Hunt  in  Jerusalem 
towards  1854:  I  was  afterwards  introduced  to  him  in  London,  and  in 
Naples  I  re-encountered  him. 


190 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


of  the  English  section,  who  seem  by  no  means  ebullient 
nationalists.  .  .  .  Was  engaged  to  call  upon  Sim  at  8J  P.M., 
and  accompany  him  to  a  Methodist  or  some  such  chapel 
where  they  habitually  sing  hymns  from  the  Arpa  Evan- 
gelica :  *  but  unfortunately,  having  lain  down  on  bed  upon 
my  return  to  the  hotel  towards  6,  never  woke  up  till  about 
9,  too  late  to  fulfil  the  engagement. 

Monday^  ii  June. — Set  off  to  see  some  more  churches. 
Sant'  Angelo  a  Nilo,  with  a  great  tomb  to  a  Cardinal  by 
Donatello  and  Michelozzo;  a  great  work,  especially  the 
Angels  contemplating  the  dead  man,  and  the  bas-relief  by 
Donatello  of  the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin^  represented  old 
and  with  a  wonderful  sentiment  in  the  face.  ...  I  should 
have  noted  that  the  other  day,  dining  with  the  Bonhams,f 
I  asked  about  my  cousin  Pietrocola,j"  and  find  he  is  con- 
siderably liked  personally,  as  well  as  esteemed  as  a  minia- 
ture-painter ;  he  is  staying  at  present  at  Sant'  Agata,  out 
of  Naples,  his  studio  being  in  Via  dell'  Ascensione.  He  is 
a  man  of  some  fifty  or  more. 

Tuesday,  I2  June. — .  .  .  Sim  taking  hospitable  possession 
of  me  for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  I  did  no  more  in  the 
way  of  sight-seeing,  but  was  about  with  him  ;  calling  on 
the  Pelham  Maitlands,§  seeing  Miss  Neeve  and  her  party  off 
for  Genoa,  paying  my  passage-money,  etc.  .  .  .  Saw  on  the 
Genoa  boat  a  man  whom  Sim  declares  to  be  Dumas,  and 
he  certainly  is  a  good  deal  like  the  portraits,  only  wanting 
in  what  I  had  supposed  certain,  dark  complexion ;  he  must 
be  something  over  six  feet  high,  grizzled,  and  looks  the 
picture  of  acute  bonhomie :  orange-brown  velvet  jacket  and 
white  trousers.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  14  Jime. —  .  .  .  To  the  exhibition  of  the 
Societa  Promotrice  delle  Belle  Arti  in  the  ex-convent  of 
San  Domenico :  a  small  exhibition,  and  certainly  not  a  good 
one,  but  still  better  than  I  had  expected.     There  is,  I 

*  My  Father's  book  of  sacred  poems, 
t  Mr  Bonham  was  the  British  Consul  in  Naples, 
t  A  relative  of  Teodorico  Pietrocola-Rossetti. 
The  Rev.  Mr  Pelham  Maitland  was  the  British  Chaplain. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1866  191 


think,  talent  more  and  better  than  in  our  secondary  London 
exhibitions,  spite  of  very  poor  style  in  the  drawing  etc. 
Sacred  subjects  are  almost  or  entirely  absent,  those  of 
history  or  historic  genre  frequent  enough  :  the  size  of  the 
works  small,  with  perhaps  not  three  exceeding  six  feet 
in  length.  Bought  in  the  Strada  di  Toledo  the  Naples 
(1848)  edition  of  the  Veggente  in  Solitudine.^ .  .  .  Finished- 
up  the  evening  at  Mr  and  Mrs  Hirsch's  f  in  a  very  Hebraic 
company.  Some  table-turning  again,  of  which  nothing  came 
worth  recording  here ;  but  many  very  strong  movements  in 
the  table,  such  as  I  saw  no  reason  for  thinking  ungenuine. 
Hirsch,  it  seems,  who  was  the  loudest  of  laughers  at  the 
table-turning  of  Saturday,  has  in  the  interval,  with  his  wife, 
had  some  messages  which  have  considerably  surprised  him, 
and  this  evening  he  seemed  the  most  serious  experimenter 
in  the  company. 

Friday,  15  June. —  ...  It  turned  out  that  I  had  got 
changed  into  paper  just  about  the  right  sum  to  give  me  the 
fair  advantage  of  it  upon  my  hotel  and  steamer  bills  ;  and 
somewhat  to  my  surprise  no  objection  (which  would  however 
have  been  illegal)  was  raised  to  my  paying  140  francs  in 
paper  upon  the  bill  of  124  francs  50  cents,  and  getting 
the  full  change  in  silver.  On  the  whole,  though  all  the 
English  residents  seem  equally  abusive  of  Neapolitans 
(which  means  here  only  the  inhabitants  of  the  actual  city 
of  Naples),  I  have  had  no  reason  at  all  to  regard  them 
as  more  extortionate  or  cheating  than  other  people ;  and 
I  even  doubt  whether  there  is  any  more  need  here  than 
in  most  other  places  for  higgling  and  beating  down  in  shops 
etc.  .  .  .  Going  aboard  the  Stromboli.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  16  June. — Back  by  a  circuitous  drive  to  the 
ship,  which  really  did  start  punctually  at  the  last-announced 
hour,  4  P.M.  The  ship  is  heavily  laden  with  cannon  for 
Genoa,  the  sea  is  brisker  than  on  my  out- voyage,  and  there 
is  a  good  deal  of  rolling.  .  .  . 

*  By  Gabriele  Rossetti. 

t  I  suppose  this  Mr  Hirsch  was  the  financier  known  as  Baron  Hirsch 
— may  be  mistaken. 


192 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Monday,  i8  June. —  .  .  .  Our  landing  at  Genoa  had  been 
notified  for  about  6  A.M.,  but  did  not  take  place  till  about 
that  hour  P.M.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  19  June. — Everybody  having  told  me  to  go 
to  the  Villa  Pallavicini,  and  I  not  knowing  exactly  what 
would  be  the  nature  of  the  entertainment  there  provided, 
I  spent  (not  to  say,  lost)  the  whole  day  in  getting  and 
staying  there.  .  .  .  The  fun  of  the  Villa  Pallavicini,  which 
so  delights  the  modern  Italian  and  tourist  minds,  consists 
in  its  being  factitious  from  top  to  bottom.  An  arid  rock, 
earth-clad  and  foliage-clad,  and  very  charmingly  laid-out 
too  by  art.  Sham  Gothic  towers ;  sham  classic  temples ; 
sham  {i.e.  pieced  together)  stalactite  cavern ;  a  sham 
monument  to  a  supposititious  warrior  who  got  killed  in 
defending  one  of  the  fortresses  against  the  other  (! !)  etc.  etc. 
The  architect,  a  withered  old-fashioned  old  man  whom  I 
happened  to  see  in  the  grounds,  is  Canzio,  father  of  the 
husband  of  Garibaldi's  daughter.  The  concoction  was 
begun  in  1838,  and  finished  in  1846,  occupying  some  two- 
hundred  men  per  day.  It  is  a  curious,  and  in  its  wa)^ 
pleasing  and  successful,  example  of  the  silly  in  motive  and 
point  of  view.  This  Marquis  Pallavicini  is  not  the  one 
who  shot  down  Garibaldi  at  Aspromonte  (and  who,  I  am 
told  by  the  by,  has  now  sought  Garibaldi's  permission  to 
enter  himself  as  a  volunteer  under  him,  and  been  welcomed), 
but,  says  the  custode,  of  a  separate  and  distinct  family.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  21  June. — The  environs  of  Nice  are  exceedingly 
fine.  .  .  .  Spite  of  its  Gallicization,  I  notice  in  the  shops 
of  Nice  a  good  deal  of  glorification  of  Garibaldi  ;  but  a 
serial  print  of  his  achievements  misses  out  all  about  the 
defence  of  Rome.  His  birth-house  is  known  here,  but  no 
photograph  of  it  obtainable.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  24  June. —  .  .  .  All  the  way  up  the  Thames  to 
London.  .  .  . 

Friday,  5  October. —  .  .  .  Hotten  *  sent  me  Sw[inburne]'s 
pamphlet,  the  proof,  in  vindication  of  Poems  and  Ballads, 

*  John  Camden  Hotten  the  Publisher,  who  was  succeeded  by  the  firm 
of  Chatto  and  Windus. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1866 


193 


asking  me  to  look  at  it,  and  consider  certain  passages.  .  .  . 
The  pamphlet  is  very  vigorously  written,  and  I  think 
calculated  to  lighten  the  odium  against  the  poems  ;  though  it 
goes  (as  I  told  S[winburne]  some  weeks  ago)  beyond  what  I 
think  effective  or  candid  in  repudiating  the  imputations 
of  "  immoral  and  blasphemous  "  matter.  Left  the  proof  at 
Hotten's  in  the  afternoon.  Went  to  Chelsea.  ...  A  raven 
and  several  small  birds  bought  by  G[abriel]  arrived  :  saw 
also  for  the  first  time  the  Pomeranian  puppy  Punch,  who 
is  a  mild  and  confiding  beast.  Some  section  of  the  evening 
occupied  by  the  evasion  of  one  of  the  juvenile  white  mice, 
which  jumped  off  a  table,  and  ran  behind  a  cupboard. 
After  a  long  while,  the  cage  and  mother  being  placed 
close  to  the  cupboard,  it  followed  its  mother  back  into 
the  cage.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  6  October. — At  Hotten's  request,  called  on 
him  to  talk  over  Swinburne's  pamphlet,  and  offered  to  write 
S[winburne]  my  opinion  upon  certain  passages.  H[otten] 
says  that  the  Athenceuin  article  on  S[winburne]  was  written 
by  Lush,  son  of  a  Q.C.,  the  Saturday  Review  by  John 
Morley,  and  the  Examiner  (which  however  he  had  not 
yet  heard  of)  by  Henry  Morley  ;  that  Mill,  M.P.,  is  indignant 
at  the  clamour  against  S[winburne] ;  that  the  Poems  and 
Ballads  will  again  be  on  sale  on  Monday ;  that  he,  H[otten], 
would  be  glad  to  publish  my  Swinburne  article,  if  it  mis- 
carries with  The  North  American  Reviezu, — he  says,  to 
publish  it  anonymously  as  a  pamphlet,  but  I  would  put 
my  name  to  it.  This  may  be  worth  attending  to,  and  is 
indeed  what  I  had  thought  of,  but  I  made  no  definite  reply. 
To-day's  Examiner  contains  a  highly  laudatory  notice  of 
Christina,  the  same  series  as  the  article  on  Swinburne.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  1 1  October. — Ralston*  called.  .  .  .  He  was 
just  now  at  Cartledge's  Temperance  Hotel,  Matlock,  where 
he  found  a  drawing  by  Gabriel  of  the  head  of  an  old  lady, 
Mrs  Wetherall ;   this  is  the   place   where   G[abriel]  and 

*  Mr  W.  R.  S.  Ralston,  who  made  a  reputation  as  a  Russian  scholar 
and  translator.  He  was  now  (or  had  recently  been)  in  the  British 
Museum. 

N 


194 


noSSETTl  PAPERS 


Lizzie  stayed  more  than  once.  Cartledge  declined  to  sell 
it.  Ralston  told  me  this  singular  sympathy-story,  related 
to  him  by  one  of  the  parties  concerned  (the  son  in  England), 
and  he  says  he  has  satisfied  himself  of  its  truth :  (he  does 
not  go  in  for  such  phenomena  particularly).  A  gentleman 
who  had  one  son  in  Australia  (say),  and  the  other  staying 
with  him  in  England,  was  seated  at  home  with  the  latter 
one  day,  when  he  suddenly  saw  present  his  son  in  Australia, 
and  started  up  to  greet  him  :  the  appearance  then  vanished. 
It  afterwards  turned  out  that,  just  about  the  same  time, 
the  son  in  Australia  had  had  a  bad  accident,  falling  from 
some  height,  and  had  been  thinking  vividly  of  his  father. 
He  did  not  die. 

Friday y  12  October'. — Scott  dined  with  me  at  Chelsea. 
Gabriel  and  Sandys,  I  find,  left  on  Monday,  and  are  now 
at  Winchelsea.  .  .  .  Swinburne  returned  me  his  proof, 
with  most  of  the  substantial  alterations  which  had  been 
proposed.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  13  October. — Saw  Hotten  again  with  regard 
to  Swinburne's  pamphlet.  S[winburne]  has  shown  his 
usual  good  feeling  and  amenability  to  reason  when  sugges- 
tions are  made  to  him  in  a  spirit  and  from  a  quarter 
which  he  knows  to  be  friendly.  The  issue  of  the  book  is 
delayed  till  the  pamphlet  can  be  brought  out  to  accom- 
pany it.  Spoke  to  H[otten]  regarding  his  recent  proposal, 
which  I  am  inclined  to  close  with,  to  publish  my  review 
of  Swinburne,  instead  of  its  being  sent  to  America.  He 
seems  hardly  prepared  to  pay  anything  for  it.  .  .  . 

Monday,  15  October.  —  Wrote  to  Hotten  offering  him 
my  review  of  Swinburne,  if  he  will  pay  me  down, 
undertake  all  expenses,  and,  after  reimbursing  himself  both 
these  outlays,  halve  any  profits. 

Tuesday,  16  October. — Gabriel  writes  that  he  is  going 
to  Stratford-on-Avon. 

Wednesday,  17  October.  —  Hotten  replies  that  he  will 
take  my  review  on  the  terms  named  on  15.*    I  wrote  a 

*  It  was  published  under  the  Swinburne^ s  Poems  and  Ballads,  a 

Criticism^  by  William  Michael  Rossetti. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1866 


195 


brief  Prefatory  Note  to  it,  and  made  it  ready  for 
delivery.  .  .  . 

Friday,  1 9  October.  —  Gabriel  writes  that,  the  weather 
having  broken,  he  shall  not  go  to  Stratford,  but  be  back 
to-morrow  or  Monday.  Called  on  Inchbold  by  appoint- 
ment, with  regard  to  a  proposed  subscription  for  the 
widow  of  Thomas  Morten,  and  went  on  with  him  to  A. 
Houghton,*  M[orten]'s  executor.  He  seems  a  man  of 
superior  quality.  Has  had  one  eye  taken  out  in  conse- 
quence of  an  accident,  and  the  other  has  of  late  plagued 
him  much  with  a  sort  of  neuralgia,  frequently  preventing 
him  from  working  during  one  week  or  so  out  of  three. 
He  says  M[orten]  was  subject  to  epileptic  fits.  .  .  . 
H[oughton]  is  willing  to  undertake  the  general  manage- 
ment of  the  subscription,  but  would  wish  to  have  a  Com- 
mittee or  so  to  fall  back  upon.  ...  I  saw  the  paintings 
and  sketches  left  by  M[orten].  He  was  engaged  upon  a 
picture  of  The  Council  before  the  Massacre  of  St  Bartholomew, 
with  the  incident  of  the  nobleman  breaking  his  sword — a 
very  clever  piece  of  work,  though  somewhat  deficient  in 
backbone  and  solid  study.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  23  October. — Hotten  paid  me  the  £1^  for 
my  pamphlet.  Gabriel  back,  seeming  a  good  deal  brisker 
and  fresher.  A  barn  -  owl  named  Jessie,  exceedingly 
tame.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  25  October. — Howell,  Chapman, -f-  and  Marks 
the  china-dealer,  at  dinner  at  Chelsea.  A  good  deal  of 
talk  about  Ruskin.  Howell  says  that  R[uskin]'s  income 
is  ;i"22,ooo  a  year,  out  of  which  he  only  keeps  ;^i50O  for 
his  own  expenses.  He  sold  the  wine-business  for  the 
equivalent  of  about  ;^200,ooo,  but  this  is  paid  to  him  as 
an  annuity.  The  expense  of  his  books  was  huge — ;^  12,000 
for  The  Stones  of  Venice,  and  ;^2 5,000  for  the  whole  lot  (I 
think).     The  sales  have  covered  the  total,  and  yielded 

*  Alfred  Boyd  Houghton,  deservedly  prized  as  a  woodcut  illustrator 

etc. 

f  Mr  George  W.  Chapman,  a  painter  (principally  of  portraits)  of 
some  grace  and  faculty.    He  died  some  few  years  afterwards,  still  young. 


196 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


him  a  profit  of  £40.  He  lately  gave  ^7000  to  a  hard-up 
clergyman  :  a  Greek  woman,  of  whom  he  knew  nothing, 
applied  to  him  for  £10,  and  he  sent  £100.  .  .  .  R[uskin] 
(H[owell]  says)  speaks  in  high  terms  of  my  translation  of 
Dante,  on  the  grounds  of  its  extreme  faithfulness.  R[uskin], 
when  in  Venice,  could  have  got  what  he  terms  the  finest 
of  the  Venetian  Palazzi  for  £soo  down  :  H[owell]  under- 
stands he  would  have  done  so  but  for  not  anticipating 
any  departure  of  the  Austrians,  or  consequent  change  in 
the  price  of  property.  He  has  taken  charge  of  Miss 
Hilliard,  the  niece  of  Lady  Trevelyan,  who  was  abroad 
with  them  at  the  time  of  the  latter's  death.  He  also 
maintains,  by  an  annual  allowance,  the  Father  and  Mother 
of  his  late  Wife.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  28  October. — Houghton  called.  It  seems  he 
was  in  India  in  his  childhood,  being  the  son  of  an  Indian 
officer,  and  has  some  knowledge  of  oriental  matters,  which 
influenced  his  Arabian  Nights  designs.  He  says  the  Persian 
cat  ought  to  be  prevented  from  eating  any  fish,  or  her  fur 
will  spoil :  the  Persians  are  particular  in  this,  though  fish 
are  commonly  used  as  manure,  and  are  thus  eaten  even 
by  the  cattle.  .  .  . 

Friday,  2  November. — Whistler  back  at  last  from  South 
America,  whither  he  went  about  the  beginning  of  last 
February.  He  has  painted  next  to  nothing,  and  seems 
to  have  found  but  little  to  interest  him  in  his  travels 
— Valparaiso,  Lima  (which  he  likes  much  the  better) 
etc.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  3  November. — .  .  .  Dined  with  Scott,  Linton 
(who  is  off  to  America  for  some  three  months),  etc. — 
L[inton]  says  he  knows  as  a  fact  that  the  whole  of  Gari- 
baldi's Sicilian  expedition  was  directed  by  Mazzini.  .  .  . 

Monday,  5  November. — Dined  at  Jones's.  .  .  .  Howell  tells 
me  in  confidence  that  the  melancholy  which  now  besets 
Ruskin,  and  which  just  at  present  makes  him  almost  defin- 
itely out  of  health,  is  partly  based  on  the  fact  that  R[uskin] 
is  in  love  (he  did  not  say  with  whom),  and  under  his 
peculiar  circumstances  embarrassed  in  declaring  himself  or 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1866 


197 


deciding  upon  a  course  of  action.  It  seems  that  some 
while  ago  an  American  lady,  the  reverse  of  young,  came 
over  in  full  knowledge  of  the  published  facts  about  Ruskin, 
and  distinctly  proposed  to  him  :  they  still  correspond,  though 
her  suit  was  not  crowned  with  any  success.  Saw  the  (on 
the  whole)  very  handsome  article  on  Swinburne  in  Fraser : 
also  Jones's  series  of  Tannhaiiser  designs,  and  his  lovely 
picture  of  Citpid  watching  Psyche  reposing — in  some  respects 
about  the  best  thing  he  has  done.  He  adores  Raphael  now 
beyond  all  painters.  .  .  . 

Monday^  12  November. — My  Criticism  on  Swinb?irne  out, 
and  sent  me  by  Hotten.  .  .  . 

Monday^  19  November. —  The  Star  this  morning  has  an 
abusive  little  paragraph  against  my  Swinburne  brochure : 
The  Saturday  Reviezu  is  markedly  civil  to  me  (far  contrary 
to  my  expectation),  and  makes  some  approaches  to  amends 
towards  the  genius  of  Sw[inburne].  A  party  at  Brown's, 
where  his  picture  of  Cordelia's  Departure  with  King  of 
France^  water-colour  sold  to  Craven,  was  to  be  seen. 
Sw[inburne]  there,  being  back  for  a  fortnight  or  so  :  speaks 
with  great  satisfaction  of  my  pamphlet.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  20  November. — Hotten  says  that  his  first  lot  of 
Sw[inburne]'s  poems,  which  I  understand  to  be  all  he  got 
from  Moxon,  has  sold,  and  he  is  going  to  have-in  another 
lot :  the  like  with  Sw[inburne]'s  Notes.  My  pamphlet 
consists  of  250  copies.  .  .  .  H[otten]  showed  me  a  con- 
fidential letter  addressed  to  him  by  one  of  the  Police- 
magistrates,  saying  that  he  is  satisfied  Sw[inburne]'s  book 
is  not  seizable  nor  indictable :  the  only  question  being 
whether  H[otten]  could  prosecute  any  other  publisher  who 
might  re-publish  the  book  unauthorized. 

Wednesday,  21  November. — Sandys  says  he  knows  the 
Saturday  Review  notice  of  Sw[inburne]'s  poems  was  by 
John  Morley :  he  doubts  whether  the  present  notice  of  my 
pamphlet  is  so.  Traventi  called  at  Albany  Street,  wishing 
Christina  to  make  some  verbal  alterations  in  the  Birthday, 
to  make  it  more  intelligible  when  set  to  music ;  she  con- 
sented.    T[raventi]'s  first  musical  composition  was  to  ^^Sei 


198 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


pur  bellal'  *  and  used  to  be  much  sung  about  in  chorus 
towards  1848.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  4  December. — Dined  at  Ruskin's — the  first  time  I 
have  so  much  as  seen  him  these  three  or  four  years.  He 
looks  to  me  on  the  whole  well,  and  somewhat  less  fragile 
than  of  yore.  His  Mother  tells  me  she  will  be  eighty-six 
next  birthday  :  she  has  lost  one  eye  altogether,  and  says 
(though  I  had  before  been  told  the  contrary)  that  her  sight 
now  is  altogether  less  good  than  when  I  used  to  see  her. 
She  belongs  to  an  English,  not  Scotch,  family  :  her  Husband 
was  born  in  Edinburgh,  of  a  Galloway  family.  R[uskin] 
proposes  to  bring  out  a  book  of  extracts  from  his  works, 
giving  prominence  to  certain  points  he  has  at  heart :  the 
extant  Selections  he  had  nothing  to  do  with,  but  Harrison  f 
chiefly  or  wholly.  He  considers  Titian,  Velasquez,  and  a 
third  (I  think  Tintoret),  tJie  great  masters  of  painting  as 
an  art.  I  was  introduced  to  Miss  Agnew,J  also  Constance 
Hilliard.  R[uskin]  wishes  to  resume  seeing  Gabriel ;  and 
I  recommended  him  to  call,  and  abstain  from  overhauling 
his  work  too  brusquely :  he  considers  G[abriel],  when  he  was 
last  in  the  way  of  seeing  him,  had  got  into  a  bad  way  of 
work,  though  such  as  may  be  natural  in  a  progressive  course. 
Went  hence  to  Howell's,  where  I  saw  his  Tintoret,  which 
is  a  splendid  decorative  work.  I  could  not  affirm  it  to  be 
by  Tintoret,  but  think  it  quite  reasonably  likely.  R[uskin] 
pays  him  ^^300  a  year :  has  given  Cruikshank  altogether 
about  £6qo  since  the  subscription-plan  was  started. 

Wednesday,  5  December. — Called  by  invitation  to  see,  for 
the  first  time,  Stephens  and  his  Wife  in  their  new  home, 
10  Hammersmith  Terrace;  it  seems,  as  far  as  one  can  judge 
by  night,  an  agreeable  oldish  house,  the  back  looking  out 
direct  on  the  river.    The  Browns  there  also.  .  .  .  Stephens 

Gabriele  Rossetti's  patriotic  lyric,  written  in  1820.  Traventi  was 
a  Neapolitan  musical-composer,  who  stayed  from  time  to  time  in 
London. 

t  Mr  Harrison  had  edited  something  by  Ruskin  when  the  latter  was 
extremely  young. 

\  Now  Mrs  Arthur  Severn. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  186G  199 


gives  me  distressing  news  of  Hunt's  Wife,*  who,  according 
to  Mrs  Woolner,  has  had  a  relapse,  and  is  in  an  alarming 
state. 

Thursday,  6  December. — Dined  at  Street's,f  who  seems  to 
be  (as  I  should  have  surmised)  a  strong  Tory:  detests  Victor 
Emmanuel,  contemns  Garibaldi,  etc.  Morris  says  he  has 
done  something  like  half  of  his  long  poem.j 

Friday,  7  December. — At  Chelsea.  I  find  that  Ruskin 
called  on  Gabriel  on  Wednesday,  and  all  went  off  most 
cordially  —  R[uskin]  expressing  great  admiration  of  the 
Beatrice  in  a  Death- trance.'^  .  .  . 

Thursday,  13  December. — Resumed,  after  an  interval  of 
two  or  three  months,  my  translation  of  Dante — now  in 
Purgatorio,  canto  17.II  .  .  . 

Saturday,  1 5  December — Dined  with  Brown,  who  has 
just  about  finished  a  water-colour  of  The  Last  of  England, 
for  which  Kate  did  some  preliminary  work,  showing  appar- 
ently very  considerable  aptitude :  Nolly  also  shows  some 
promise  as  a  designer,  and  Lucy,  says  B[rown],  as  a  colourist. 
.  .  .  I  am  pleased  to  find  my  Swinburne  pamphlet  very  much 
lauded  by  B[rown]. 

Sitnday,  16  December. — Wrote  Macmillan  asking  whether 
he  would  publish  the  selection  I  have  noted  down  from  my 
articles  in  The  Spectator  etc.  Began  notes  on  the  new 
version  of  The  Stations  of  Rome  for  the  Early  English  Text 
Society. 

Monday,  17  December. — G[abriel]  says  that  .  .  .  Lady 
Waterford  and  Mrs  Boyle  are  doing  a  set  of  illustrations  to 
Christina's  poems.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  22  December. — Stephens  sends  me  the  sad  news 
of  Mrs  Hunt's  death  on  20  December.  Hotten  tells  me  of 
the  purchase  at  Moxon's  of  two  copies  of  Swinburne's  Poems 

His  first  wife,  be  it  understood, 
t  George  Edmund  Street,  the  Architect  of  the  new  Law-courts  in 
London,  etc. 

:!:  The  Life  and  Death  of  Jason. 

§  The  Beata  Beatrix,  now  in  the  National  British  Gallery. 
II  The  translation  went  but  very  little  beyond  this  point. 


200 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


and  Ballads — Moxon's  Edition — on  15  and  21  December, 
by  Mr  Graham,  an  American,  for  £\.  is.  each.*  I  wrote 
Swinburne  about  this  very  suspicious-looking  transaction. 

Sunday^  23  December. — Wrote  Hunt  offering  to  come  to 
Florence,  if  it  would  be  any  satisfaction  or  convenience  to 
him. 

Monday^  24  December. — Martineau  tells  me  that  Mrs  Hunt 
died  of  fever  supervening  on  the  exhaustion  of  her  confinement 
— chiefly  of  a  miliary  fever  to  which  Florence  is  especially 
subject.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  27  December.  —  Swinburne  leaves  to  Hotten 
any  action  on  the  sale  by  Payne  of  Poems  and  Ballads.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  30  December. — Revisited  (at  Mrs  Masson's  invi- 
tation) the  Ormes,-]-  after  an  interval  of  some  six  years. 
Herbert  Spencer  there,  who  seems  to  believe  in  many  of 
the  reported  phenomena  of  mesmerism,  but  not  in  their 
being  caused  by  effluence  from  one  person  to  another.  .  .  . 


120.— Dante  Rossetti— Scraps. 

[In  a  writing-book  of  my  Brother,  in  which  he  jotted 
down  all  sorts  of  casual  trifles,  I  find  the  following  6  items, 
which  may  be  not  totally  undeserving  of  a  niche  here. — i.  is 
a  skit  upon  the  title,  Essays  written  in  the  Intervals  of  Busi- 
ness, of  a  book  then  much  in  vogue,  done  by  Sir  Arthur 
Helps.    4.  must  be  proper  to  the  year  1866,  when  (as  men- 

*  The  Moxon  firm  having  withdrawn  Mr  Swinburne's  book  on  the 
plea  of  its  being  immoral  etc.,  and  having  sold  the  remainder  to  Mr 
Hotten,  they  had  of  course  no  right  to  retain  and  sell  some  of  the 
copies  ;  for  which  a  fancy-price  was  charged,  obviously  on  account  of 
the  scandal  attached  to  the  volume. 

t  Mrs  Masson  (wife  of  the  Historiographer  for  Scotland)  was  a 
daughter  of  Mrs  Orme — a  lady  who,  along  with  her  family,  had  treated 
me  with  constant  kindness  in  my  early  youth,  towards  1850.  Mrs  Orme 
was  a  sister  of  the  first  Mrs  Coventry  Patmore,  "  the  Angel  in  the 
House." 


CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI,  1866 


201 


tioned  in  my  Diary)  my  Brother,  with  Mr  Sandys,  made  a 
little  trip  to  Winchelsea  and  its  neighbourhood.  I  insert 
this  slight  jotting  as  being  of  use  for  fixing  a  date ;  and  I 
take  the  same  date  as  if  it  pertained  to  all  the  items,  but  it 
would  not  have  done  so  strictly.  5,  a  regimen  for  diet,  may 
have  applied  more  to  a  generally  plethoric  habit  of  body  in 
those  days  than  to  anything  like  definite  illness.] 

1.  Essays  written  in  the  Intervals  of  Lock-jaw,  Elephan- 
tiasis, and  Penal  Servitude. 

2.  Title  for  comic  journal — Gas,  or  the  London  Luminary. 
Cover,  a  large  gas-lamp  with  the  title  on  it,  and  dark  view  of 
London  street  behind. 

3.  The  "  Cratur  "  of  the  Irish  Volcano ;  a  whiskey-bottle, 
with  little  Irishmen  swarming  up  it,  and  taking  fire  at  the 
mouth. 

4.  Winchelsea,  Northiam  House.  Tenterden,  Kent,  about 
ten  miles  thence.  Good  Inn  kept  by  Tabrett,  within  a  drive 
of  Rye.    Cranbrook,  Dutch  weaving-town. 

5.  From  John  Marshall.  Eat  meat,  poultry,  game,  fish, 
oysters,  kidneys,  green  vegetables,  stewed  fruit,  ripe  fruit. 
Small  quantity  of  toast  or  rusk ;  very  few  potatoes.  Drink 
thin  wines  or  cyder;  summer,  claret  or  chablis,  with  equal 
parts  cold  water.  Winter,  ditto,  with  half  as  much  hot  water 
and  nutmeg.  Very  little  tea  or  coffee.  Avoid  or  reduce 
much  bread,  potatoes,  sugar,  beer,  spirits,  cocoa,  chocolate, 
olive-oil,  eggs,  bacon. 

6.  For  plain  scarlet :  try  laying  ground  with  Venetian  or 
Indian  red,  and  white,  to  the  full  depth  of  tone,  and  glazing 
with  orange-vermilion. 


121.— Christina  Rossetti  to  William  Rossetti,  Naples. 

[Mrs  Cameron  was  a  Sister  of  Mrs  Prinsep,  who  lived  at 
Little  Holland  House,  with  her  Son  Valentine  (the  painter) ; 


202 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


also  of  Mrs  (Lady)  Dalrymple.  Mr  G.  F.  Watts,  the 
celebrated  Painter,  tenanted  a  studio  in  the  same  house. 
Freshwater  Bay  was  the  ordinary  residence  of  Mrs  Cameron  : 
my  Sister  never  visited  her  there,  nor  do  I  remember  that 
she  ever  set  eyes  on  Tennyson.] 

Miss  Boyd,  Penkill  Castle,  Girvan,  Ayrshire. 
4  Ju7ie  1866. 

My  dear  William, — I  hope  you  are  amongst  still  finer 
surroundings,  but  you  are  not  badly  off  if  you  are  only  in  a 
country  as  fine  as  this.  As  to  room,  I  suspect  I  exceed  you, 
inhabiting  as  I  do  an  apartment  like  the  best  bedroom  at 
Tudor  House  on  a  large  scale.  Miss  Boyd  makes  me  very 
welcome  and  comfortable,  and  the  Scotts  don't  need  com- 
ment from  me.  .  .  .  Ailsa  Crag  is  a  wonderfully  poetical 
object  continually  in  sight.  Of  small  fry,  jackdaws  perch 
near  the  windows,  and  rabbits  parade  in  full  view  of  the 
house.  The  glen  is  lovely.  And,  to  crown  all,  we  are  having 
pleasant  mild  summer. 

This  morning  Pr\ince's\  Pr\ogress\  actually  came  to 
breakfast — blemished,  to  my  sorrow,  by  perhaps  the  worst 
misprint  of  all  left  uncorrected.  .  .  . 

Mrs  Cameron  called  one  day  (of  course  in  London)  with  a 
portfolio  of  her  magnificent  photographs,  of  which  she  kindly 
presented  five  to  Mamma,  Maria,  and  self.  Maria  and  I 
returned  her  visit  at  Little  Holland  House,  where  we  saw  the 
gigantic  Val,  Mr  Watts,  Mrs  Dalrymple,  and  got  a  glimpse 
of  Browning,  besides  of  course  seeing  Mrs  Cameron.  I  am 
asked  down  to  Freshwater  Bay,  and  promised  to  see  Tenny- 
son if  I  go  ;  but  the  whole  plan  is  altogether  uncertain,  and  I 
am  too  shy  to  contemplate  it  with  anything  like  unmixed 
pleasure.  .  .  . — Always  your  loving  sister, 

Christina  G.  Rossetti. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1866 


203 


122. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  point  of  this  letter  hes  in  its  illustrative  design, 
not  here  reproduced. — The  Portrait  of  J  amy  (Mrs  William 
Morris)  is,  I  suppose,  the  oil-portrait,  three-quarters  figure 
in  a  blue  dress,  which  now  hangs  in  the  National  British 
Gallery  :  I  question  whether  it  was  finished  much  before 
1869. — In  the  afore-named  design  Rossetti  has  depicted 
himself  as  he  would  have  looked  if  his  dress-coat  had  been 
doffed,  with  a  great  rent  in  the  back  of  his  waistcoat  and 
trowsers :  he  is  tearing  his  hair.  William  Morris  is  present 
— a  dumpy  figure  amusingly  caricatured  ;  also  Brown,  his 
Wife  and  Daughter  Lucy,  Holman-Hunt,  and  two  other 
personages  who  are  probably  Peter  Paul  Marshall  and 
Warington  Taylor.  The  design  is  under-written  with  the 
words  "  Physical  condition "  etc. — The  Tupper  named  at 
the  close  of  the  letter  is  of  course  the  author  of  Proverbial 
Philosophy — not  our  friend  John  Lucas  Tupper.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk. 
16  June  1866. 

My  dear  Brown,  —  If  you  can  conveniently,  will  you 
let  me  have  that  big  Scrap-book  again  to-morrow  (Friday). 
My  reason  is  that  I  believe  I  shall  begin  a  portrait  of 
Janey  on  Saturday ;  and,  if  I  do  it  in  the  same  action  as 
the  drawing  in  the  book,  I  might  square  it  off  life-size 
before  she  comes. 

I  was  very  sorry-  to  bolt  in  that  way  so  early  from 
such  a  really  jolly  party  as  yours.  But,  Brown,  if  you  had 
known !  Doubtless  you,  in  common  with  your  guests, 
admired  my  elegant  languor  and  easy  grace.  But  O 
Brown,  had  Truth  herself  been  there  to  rend  away  my 
sheltering  coat !    Behold  me  ! 

Physical  condition  and  mental  attitude. 

The  burden  of  conscious  fat  and  hypocrisy,  the  stings 
of  remorse,  the  haunting  dread  of  exposure  as  every  motion 
wafted  the  outer  garment  to  this  side  or  to  that,  the  senses 


204 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


quickened  to  catch  the  fatal  sound  of  further  rents, — all 
this  and  more — but  let  us  draw  once  more  over  the  scene 
that  veil  which  Fate  respected.  Might  not  Tupper  say 
truly,  "  Let  not  Man,  fattening,  leave  his  dress-trowsers  too 
long  unworn,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  unto  him"? — Your 
affectionate 

D.  G.  R. 


123. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossetti. 

[As  to  the  statement  "the  Italians  have  now  been 
defeated,"  see  a  note  on  p.  186.  The  remarks  which  follow 
this  apply  to  the  war  of  1859 — Sardinia  and  France  against 
Austria.] 

2  PoNTE  Vecchio,  Florence. 
2  July  1866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  don't  wonder  at  your  spending  all 
the  time  you  could  afford  in  Naples.  ...  I  was  there  in 
the  year  '21  (of  the  Carbonari),  and  saw  the  Germans,  and 
the  King  with  his  dispensation  for  perjury.  The  Italians 
have  now  been  defeated,  but  they  are  not  discouraged.  I 
am  most  so  at  the  defeat  of  the  Liberals  in  England,  and 
the  return  of  the  Derby  party  just  at  this  moment.  That 
man  caused  us  the  loss  of  Venice.  He  sent  a  fleet  to 
the  Adriatic,  menacing  the  French,  and  a  ship  of  the 
line  to  Leghorn  to  insult  the  Italians,  because  the  G[rand] 
Duke  had  run  away  from  Florence  ;  and  he  encouraged 
the  Prussians  to  march  to  the  Rhine,  which  was  the  cause 
of  the  French  deserting  us  at  Villafranca.  The  Times  alone 
had  a  Special  Correspondent  at  that  time ;  and  the  paper 
was  so  full  of  lies  and  calumnies  that  I  wrote  to  Lord 
Lansdowne,  who  knew  me  formerly,  and  offered  to  send 
him  the  truth,  which  he  gladly  accepted.  And  I  sent  him 
no  opinions  of  my  own,  but  matters  of  fact:  all  the  pro- 
clamations, edicts,  new  laws,  etc.,  printed  by  the  Provisional 


JOHN  MURRAY,  1866 


205 


Government :  to  his  great  surprise  and  satisfaction.  And 
I  continued  till  Lord  Palmerston  came  in,  when  The  Times 
became  veracious.  A  friend  of  mine  here  asked  the  Corre- 
spondent how  he  could  send  such  false  reports ;  and  he 
said  he  had  always  sent  the  truth,  but  that,  when  his 
articles  appeared  in  the  paper,  he  did  not  know  them 
again,  they  were  so  changed  to  suit  the  politics  of  the 
editor ! — a  Derbyite,  of  course.  .  .  . 

I  enclose  you  two  photos  of  your  dear  Father  from  the 
drawing  of  the  Chevalier  Liverati.  It  is  a  rough  sketch  ; 
but  he  excelled  in  likeness,  and  had  much  practice.  It  is 
washed  and  penned  in  sepia.  It  is  2\  inches  from  the  top 
of  the  head  to  the  chin.  One  is  for  you,  and  one  for  your 
Brother.  .  .  . — Yours  sincerely, 

S.  KiRKUP. 


124. — John  Murray  to  William  Rossetti. 

[I  do  not  remember  the  details  of  this  matter — beyond 
the  fact  that  Christina  undertook  and  executed  the  trans- 
lation, and  so  much  as  appears  in  No.  130.] 

50A  Albemarle  Street. 
14  August  1866. 

My  dear  Sir, — Do  you  happen  to  know  any  one  capable 
and  willing  to  translate  from  Italian  into  English  the 
descriptive  text  of  a  work  on  Brick  Architecture  in 
Italy,  of  which  I  enclose  the  title?  It  would  require  a 
little  technical  knowledge  of  art  to  do  it  properly.  It  is  not 
a  very  extensive  work,  50  or  60  pages  of  text  perhaps. 
I  suppose  you  have  not  leisure,  nor  probably  inclination, 
to  do  it  yourself — I  remain,  dear  Sir,  yours  very 
faithfully, 

John  Murray. 


206 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


125. — Professor  Norton  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  publication  of  Mr  Swinburne's  Poems  and  Ballads 
produced  an  amount  of  rage  and  noise  such  as  the  literary 
arena  seldom  rings  with.  I  wrote  an  article  on  the  book,  by 
no  means  laudatory  to  the  exclusion  of  some  counter- 
considerations,  and  I  offered  it  to  Professor  Norton  for  his 
North  American  Review.  Before  posting  it  to  him,  however, 
I  found  that  it  would  not  be  in  harmony  with  opinions 
concerning  Mr  Swinburne  already  expressed  in  that  serial : 
so  I  with-held  it,  and  it  was  soon  afterwards  (as  my  Diary 
shows)  published  in  London  as  a  small  volume.  Mr 
Swinburne's  book  was  withdrawn  from  circulation  by  its 
publishers,  Moxon  and  Co.,  acting  through  their  managing 
partner,  Mr  J.  Bertrand  Payne :  it  was  then  re-issued  by 
Mr  Hotten.  To  this  matter  also  some  reference  has  already 
been  made  in  these  pages.] 

AsHFiELD,  Mass. 

12  September  1866. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  need  not  tell  you  with  what  interest 
and  pleasure  I  should  read  anything  you  might  send  me 
concerning  Swinburne's  poems ;  but  I  fear  that  your  regard 
for  the  author  and  admiration  of  his  powers  may  lead  you, 
in  the  warmth  of  championship,  to  go  farther  in  his  defence 
or  in  assertion  of  his  merits  than  the  severe  critical 
judgment  of  a  Transatlantic  Editor  (the  impersonation  of 
posterity  !)  will  allow  him  to  accompany  you. 

Lowell  did  write  a  notice  of  Swinburne,  in  the  North 
American  for  April,  which  you  will  find  worth  reading, 
whether  you  agree  or  disagree  with  it. 

I  have  not  seen  Swinburne's  new  volume — but  only  a 
few  poems  taken  from  it.  .  .  . — Always  sincerely  yours, 

Charles  E.  Norton. 


BAHONE  KIRKUP,  1866 


207 


126.— William  Bell  Scott  to  William  Rossettl 

[By  "Sir  Walter"  Mr  Scott  meant  Sir  Walter  C. 
Trevelyan,  of  Wallington,  Northumberland.] 

Penkill. 
16  September  1866. 

My  dear  W.  M.  R. —  .  .  .  The  par[agraph]  about  Swin- 
burne was  sent  me  by  Sir  Walter  along  with  The  Pall  Mall 
6^[<^^^/'/^]  and  other  things.  .  .  .  The  par[agraph]  I  judged  from 
the  print  to  have  been  cut  out  of  the  London  letter  of  the 
Northern  Daily  Express ;  but  it  is  no  use  taking  notice  of 
such.  However,  I  heard  that  Woolner  was  the  man  to 
bias  the  publisher  and  carry  the  point,  in  the  consideration 
of  the  withdrawal  of  Algernon's  book  ;  and  I  at  once  wrote 
Woolner,  and  asked  him  the  question  direct.  I  enclose  his 
letter  and  Payne's,  which  you  can  return  to  me  when  read. 
You  will  prevent  Gabriel  or  any  one  else  repeating  the 
assertion — (observe,  Woolner  says  directly  that  Payne  had 
seen  or  heard  nothing  of  him  for  many  months) — and  do 
justice  to  an  old  friend.  The  story  I  heard  had  nothing  to 
do  with  Gabriel.  .  .  . — Yours  ever, 

W.  B.  Scott. 


127.— Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  "fratelli  Bandieri"  (or  Bandiera)  were  two  Italian 
patriots  in  the  Austrian  military  service,  who,  breaking  loose 
from  Austria,  raised  an  abortive  insurrection  in  1844:  they 
were  both  shot.  The  letter-opening  by  Sir  James  Graham 
had  to  do  with  this  affair.] 

2  PoNTE  Vecchio,  [Florence]. 
20  September  1866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — The  Napoleonic  plebiscite  is  only 
a  temptation  to  the  Venetians  not  to  join  the  Kingdom 


208 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


of  Italy,  which  is  already  too  great  for  the  policy  of 
Bonaparte ;  who  deserted  at  Villafranca,  and  sent  two 
ambassadors  to  Florence  to  persuade  and  threaten  the 
Provisional  Government  to  receive  back  the  G[rand]  Duke 
under  the  presidency  of  the  Pope,  but  he  failed  from  the 
firmness  of  Ricasoli  and  the  Florentines.  I  knew  one  of  his 
agents,  Joseph  Poniatowski.  The  other  Dukedoms  the 
same.  .  .  .  He  wants  Sardinia,  and  now  sends  a  French 
legion  to  defend  the  Pope  against  the  Romans. 

As  for  our  good  King,  I  hear  that  he  is  priest-ridden. 
He  had  a  mistress — no  great  harm,  as  he  is  a  widower : 
she  died,  and  the  Jesuits  are  now  at  work  to  provide  him 
with  another  [une  affiliee) ;  we  shall  see  what  comes  of  it.  .  .  . 
The  King  refused  to  accept  Venice  and  make  peace  without 
the  consent  of  his  ally  of  Prussia,  according  to  an  agree- 
ment ;  but  the  Prussians  have  made  peace  without  the 
consent  of  Italy,  and  Trent  and  Trieste  will  be  lost ;  and 
they  are  both  Italian,  and  will  be  left  for  some  other 
opportunity,  and  so  they  will  remain  for  future  con- 
tention. .  .  . 

I  agree  with  you,  Mazzini  is  a  great  man, — the  greatest 
statesman  in  Europe,  as  Garibaldi  is  the  greatest  soldier ; 
but  he,  M[azzini],  is  blackballed  and  calumniated  by  the 
English  press,  and  the  associates  of  the  letter-opener 
Graham  are  now  in  power.  Remember,  Lord  Derby 
was  his  companion  when  they  deserted  their  party  and 
went  over  to  the  Tories.  I  wrote  to  Bright  the  other  day 
to  remmd  him  of  it.  In  one  of  our  rejoicings  I  saw  a  banner 
at  a  window  not  long  ago  with  an  inscription.  Alia  memoria 
dei  fratelli  Bandieri,  with  a  crape  scarf  attached  to  the 
flag-staff    The  Italians  don't  forget  that  affair. 

I  sent  to  Paris  for  Aroux's  book.  It  is  written  in  earnest 
against  Dante,  and  dedicated  in  a  grovelling  tone  to  the 
Pope.  Three-quarters  of  it  is  stolen  from  your  Father  with- 
out acknowledgment ;  and  the  original  part  of  it  is,  ...  I 
suppose,  ...  in  the  MS.  of  Beatrice.  ...  I  have  only  peeped 
into  Aroux  as  yet.  I  see  he  had  taken  much  from  the  Mistero 
dell  A[7nor]  P\latonicd\.    Whenever  that  comes  out,  it  will 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1866 


209 


show  up  Mr  A[roux]  as  a  plagiarist.  The  copy  sent  to  me 
has  this  inscription  :  "A  M.  Ste  Beuve,  hommage  affectueux 
de  I'auteur  E.A.,"  but  Mr  Ste  B[euve]  had  never  read  it,  for 
the  leaves  were  unopened.  .  .  . 

Bruno  Bianchi's  edition  speaks  highly  of  him  [Gabriele 
Rossetti]  in  the  preface ;  which  surprised  me,  as  he  is  a 
priest.  It  is  his  first  edition  of  the  Divina  Conimedia,  1844. 
His  last,  in  1863,  is  titled  La  Comviedia  di  Dante.  The 
Pope  has  forbidden  La  Divina^  and  he  is  obliged  to  obey 
orders.  I  have  an  edition  expurgated  by  a  Spanish  In- 
quisitor in  Naples,  with  plenty  of  ink,  so  that  not  a  word  is 
legible  of  four  long  passages.  I  was  surprised  there  were 
not  more.  .  .  . 

My  eyes  are  always  threatening.  I  write  most  by  feel,  to 
save  them  ;  so  excuse  scrawl. — Yours  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


128.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[T  am  not  at  all  sure  as  to  the  year  in  which  this  letter 
was  written.  Possibly,  rather  than  1866,  the  date  ought  to 
be  1865  :  but  other  correspondence  of  Rossetti,  proper  to 
the  autumn  of  1865,  makes  me  doubtful  as  to  this.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
26  September  [1866?]. 

My  dear  Brown, —  .  .  .  I've  just  been  to  Llandaff  re- 
touching my  picture,  and  have  much  improved  the  centre- 
piece by  lightening  the  Virgin  and  Child.  I  haven't  been 
well  lately,  and  must  try  and  get  a  change.  I  have  been  to 
Marshall. 

I  shall  look  you  up  soon — I  suppose  you're  mostly  in  of 
evenings. — Yours  affectionately, 

Gabriel. 
o 


210 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


129— William  Rossetti— A  Spiritual  Stance  (No.  4). 

[Lady  Trevelyan,  the  wife  of  Sir  Walter  Trevelyan  of 
Wallington  and  of  Seaton,  had  died  not  long  before  this  date. 
Dr  Samuel  Brown  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of  Mr  Scott's 
youth. — Mr  Oliphant,  the  husband  of  Mrs  Oliphant  the 
novelist,  had  been  known  to  Scott  in  more  recent  years  as  a 
designer  for  stained  glass  in  Newcastle. — Pritchard  was  a 
doctor  in  Glasgow,  who  had  come  to  the  gallows  for  poison- 
ing.   I  no  longer  remember  details  about  Jeffery.] 

Thursday,  \Z  October  1866, — Mrs  Marshall's,  the  upstairs 
front  room.  Daylight.  Scott,  Mrs  M[arshall],  Mrs  M[arshall] 
junior,  and  myself:  Marshall  occasionally  in  the  room,  but 
mostly  out.  A  slightish,  rather  clumsy  round  table.  (Recorded 
20  and  22  October.) 

Scott  had  fixed  that  he  would  try  for  communications 
from  Lady  Trevelyan,  and  next  to  her  Dr  Samuel  Brown, 
and  the  Surgeon  Liston,  and  would  ask  advice  as  to  the 
discolouring  of  his  nails.  I  fixed  to  try  for  Deverell  and 
Morten. 

Mrs  M[arshall]  junior  only  at  the  table  at  first,  and  up  to 
a  late  period  of  the  seance ;  Mrs  M[arshall]  senior  being  not 
far  off  in  a  chair,  seemingly  dozing,  as  shown  by  frequent 
tendency  to  snoring.  Taps  began,  of  increasing  loudness, 
almost  as  soon  as  we  sat  down. 

Mrs  M\_arshair\  junior. —  Is  any  spirit  present? — Yes. — 
Will  you  communicate  with  me? — No. — With  this  gentle- 
man  (myself)  ? — Yes. — I  then  asked  :  Give  your  surname. — 
Baker. — Christian  name  ? —  John. — Profession  ? —  Lawyer. — 
Did  you  know  me? — Yes.— When?  1865? — No. — 1864? — 
Yes. — All  this  being  quite  out  of  any  cognizance  of  mine,  I 
asked  for  a  message,  which  came  very  readily,  "  I  tried  to 
obtain  your  money,  but  was  flustered  : "  and  then  "  I  was 
your  great  enemy." — As  I  could  make  nothing  of  all  this,  I 
proposed  that  Scott  should  try  to  communicate  with  some 
other  spirit. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1866 


211 


Scott. — Is  there  any  spirit  present  who  will  communicate 
with  me? — Yes. — Surname? — First  came  P.  Then  Trery. 
Then  Trerol,  and  nothing  beyond  this  obtainable  (Lady 
T[revelyan]'s  Christian  name  was  Pauline). — Give  Christian 
name? — Edward. — Give  a  message?— I  would  have  lived, 
had  I  been  cared  for. — Another  ? — Look  more  to  your  health. 
Take  plenty  of  steel  in  sherry,  and  once  a  week  take  a  little 
charcoal. — Scott  (I  also  assisting  throughout  this  affair)  now 
tried  again  to  obtain  the  name.  The  answer  came,  "  What's 
in  a  name  ?  The  rose  by  any  other  name  would  smell  as 
sweet."  A  further  attempt  produced  the  name  Trehone. 
Scott :  Where  did  you  know  me ;  the  place  where  you  lately 
built  a  cottage? — Newcam.  (Should  have  been  Seaton). — 
How  long  ago  did  you  die? — Seven  months  since.  (Scott 
tells  me  Lady  T[revelyan]  really  died  5 J  months  since). — 
Where  are  you  buried? — At  the  old  place  (not  correct,  if 
meant  for  any  place  in  England). — I  asked  whether  the  spirit 
would  give  me  the  name  of  the  place  where  I  used  to  know 
her :  Answer,  Yes. — Will  you  give  it  by  taps  in  reply  to  the 
alphabet? — No. — Will  you  write  it? — Yes. — On  the  table? — 
No. — Below  the  table? — Yes. — Mrs  M[arshall]  junior  then 
placed  below  the  leg  or  pillar  of  the  table,  where  I  could  see 
them,  a  pencil  and  paper.  On  picking  these  up  at  the  end 
of  the  seance^  I  found  a  few  slight  scratches  on  them  (I  am 
not  sure  these  were  not  there  before,  and  they  made  no 
approach  at  all  to  writing). 

Scott  now  wrote  covertly  on  a  piece  of  paper  the  name 
Samuel  Brown,  M.D.,  and  asked  whether  that  spirit  would 
communicate. — Yes. — Spell  out  the  name? — Thomas  Scott 
(the  surname  given  with  a  goodish  amount  of  bungling). 
Scott  says  he  never  knew  any  one  so  named. 

I  now  asked  if  the  spirit  I  was  thinking  of  (this  was 
Morten)  was  present. — Yes. — Give  your  name  ? — Olephafant. 
— To  me  this  suggested  nothing ;  but  Scott  remarked  it 
might  be  Oliphant,  whom  he  had  known.  Scott  asked : 
Are  you  my  friend  Oliphant? — Yes. — Give  your  Christian 
name? — Frank  (correct). — Give  me  a  message? — I  am  not 
dead.  .  .  .  Will  you  tell  me  the  place  where  you  first  knew 


212 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


me? — Newcastle. — Where  did  you  die? — Albine  Hills. 
(Understanding  this  to  mean  Alban  Hills,  both  these  two 
answers  are  correct,  as  Scott  tells  me.  A  previous  attempt, 
enquiring  the  name  of  the  great  city  near  which  he  died, 
had  failed). — What  was  your  profession  ? — Awi. — This  came 
more  than  once.  Other  attempts  to  get  it  correct,  including 
the  running  over  the  names  of  various  professions,  failed. 
At  last  came  "  a  tinker." 

We  now  again  tried  to  get  into  communication  with 
the  previous  spirit,  which  from  some  indications  had 
appeared  to  be  possibly  (as  wished  for)  Lady  Trevelyan. 
In  answer  to  the  enquiry  whether  that  same  spirit  was 
present  (we  did  not  give  the  name,  nor  till  after  this  the 
sex)  came  "Yes." — Give  your  Christian  name? — Page. — 
Surname? — Trewel. — Is  that  the  whole? — Yes. — Give  your 
maiden  surname  ? — Jerley.  (Jermyn  is  the  correct  name). 
— Try  again  ? — Jerman. — Try  for  your  Christian  name  again  ? 
— Ajnes  (with  much  bungling).  Further  attempts  on  this 
tack  came  to  nothing. 

I  now  wrote  on  a  paper,  covertly,  the  name  Deverell, 
and  asked  "  Is  the  spirit  whose  name  I  have  written 
present  ?  " — Yes. — Give  the  name  ? — Elizabeth. — This,  though 
entirely  wrong  for  Deverell,  suggested  to  me  the  possible 
presence  of  Lizzie.  I  asked  for  the  surname,  which  came 
S.,  and  I  could  get  no  more. 

After  this  failure,  I  asked  "  Is  there  any  other  spirit 
present?" — Yes. — Who? — Your  guardian  angel. — Have  you 
wings? — No. — Are  you  like  a  man? — No. — Give  a  message? 
— You  will  be  called  abroad,  but  you  must  not  go. — When  ? 
— Next  year. — What  will  happen  if  I  do  go? — You  will  be 
very  ill.  \_N.B.  2  April  1868.  This  came  something  a  little 
like  true.  At  the  end  of  1866  I  offered  Hunt  to  join  him 
in  Florence  after  his  wife's  death.  He  declined  it  for  the 
present,  but  said  he  might  ask  me  at  a  future  time.  This 
he  never  did.  I  did  actually  go  abroad  to  Paris  only :  was 
not  quite  well  there,  but  also  not  ill.] — Can  you  tell  me 
where  I  purpose  going  to  next  year? — Yes. — Where? — To 
Austria. — Any  other  place? — To  India. — Any  other  place? 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTL  1866 


213 


— To  Spain.  (The  fact  of  this  matter  is  that  I  purpose 
going  to  Paris  and  Venice  :  Austria  is  not  therefore  absolutely 
wrong.  I  had  till  recently  purposed  going  to  Spain,  but 
consider  that  intention  pretty  conclusively  abandoned. 
India  is  of  course  utterly  wrong.) — Can  you  tell  me 
where  I  went  to  this  year? — Yes. — Where? — Jersey  (totally 
wrong — Naples  was  the  place). — Is  there  such  a  place  as 
hell? — No. — I  mean  a  place  where  people  are  roasted  and 
so  on? — No. — Is  there  any  place  of  punishment  for  souls? 
— Yes. — Do  any  souls  remain  there  eternally? — No. — Then 
will  every  soul  that  ever  did  or  ever  will  go  to  hell  get 
out  of  it  again  ? — Yes. — Such  a  ruffian  as  Pritchard,  for 
instance? — Yes. — Did  he  go  to  hell? — Yes. — Is  he  there 
now? — No  (I  think  was  the  answer,  but  am  not  quite  sure). 
— Is  Jeffery,  hanged  the  other  day,  now  in  hell? — Yes. — 
Is  there  any  devil? — No. — No  such  being  as  is  ordinarily 
understood  by  the  name  Satan? — No.  .  .  . 

On  leaving  the  table,  Scott  and  I  looked  at  the  "  sperrit- 
drawings"  of  which  several  new  specimens  are  framed  and 
hung  up  in  the  room  :  things  which  it  is  a  humiliation  so 
much  as  to  look  at — The  Dream  of  Richard  III.,  Witch  of 
Endor,  Death  of  Richard  II.,  a  Fruitpiece,  etc.  M[arshall], 
who  is  the  author  of  these  works,  says  that  the  spirits  say 
they  influence  him  to  produce  them,  "  to  show  their  power." 
He  seems  totally  unaware  of  the  feelings  with  which  any 
one  .  .  .  must  regard  these  performances. 

Scott  and  I  considered  the  seance  on  the  whole  a  some- 
what unsatisfactory  one :  yet,  on  reading-over  the  details 
here  set  down  (and  which  are  all  of  any  importance  that  I 
remember  to  have  happened),  it  cannot  be  denied  that  some 
of  the  messages  were  curiously  right,  and  others  very  near 
being  right. — N.B.  To  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  none  of 
the  Marshalls  yet  know  my  name  or  belongings,  nor  yet 
Scott's :  I  have  always  been  cautious  to  avoid  calling  him 
by  name,  and,  as  far  as  I  remember,  have  in  practice 
avoided  doing  so.  All  the  answers  given  were  by  raps, 
very  prompt,  but  pretty  often  bungled,  and  on  enquiry 
revoked. 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


130. — John  Murray  to  William  Rossettl 

50A  Albemarle  Street. 
I  November  [1866]. 

My  dear  Sir, — In  consequence  of  your  letter  dated  some 
six  or  eight  weeks  ago,  stating  that  Miss  Rossetti  would  not 
be  indisposed  to  undertake  for  me  the  translation  from  the 
Italian  of  certain  descriptions  belonging  to  a  work  on  The 
Terra  Cotta  Edifices  of  N\ortJi\  Italy ^  I  have  now  the  pleasure 
to  enclose  an  instalment  of  the  MSS.  ...  It  consists  of: — 

1.  General  Introduction  on  Terra  Cotta. 

2.  San  Gottardo,  Milan. 

3.  Certosa,  Pavia. 

4.  San  Pietro  in  Ciel  d'Oro,  Pavia.  .  .  . — Yours  very 
faithfully, 

John  Murray. 


131. — J.  A.  Froude  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  have  little  doubt  that  my  "  American  friend "  was 
Mr  Stillman :  but  I  do  not  remember  the  details  of  this 
contribution  (about  the  American  Civil  War)  offered  to 
Frasei^s  Magazine^ 

5  Onslow  Gardens. 
12  November  1866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  Give  me  a  day  or  two  to  think 
about  your  American  friend's  letter.  He  ought  to  know 
that  many  of  us  have  all  our  lives  been  ardently  desiring  to 
see  England  draw  near  to  America.  I  myself  always  detested 
the  tone  of  the  English  press  and  English  society  about  it : 
yet,  when  the  war  broke  out,  my  sympathies  were  with  the 
South,  because  I  believed  that  the  North  was  trying  to  do 
what  it  could  not  do,  and  that  it  was  bringing  discredit  upon 
Republicanism  by  what  I  supposed  to  be  useless  violence. 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1866 


215 


I  see  that  I  was  wrong — but  we  had  no  means  of  knowing 
what  the  truth  was,  when  their  own  people  told  such  different 
stories. 

The  letter  will  do  good,  I  think,  and  I  should  like  to 
insert  it  r  but,  for  my  own  sake,  I  must  attach  a  few  words 
in  a  note,  declining  for  myself  to  accept  the  blame  which  he 
thinks  we  all  deserve.  Do  you  think  I  may  do  this  without 
giving  fresh  offence  ? — Faithfully  yours, 

J.  A.  Froude. 


132. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossetti. 

[Kirkup's  intercourse  with  "  the  spirit  of  Dante  "  figures 
more  than  once  in  his  correspondence.  He  eventually  sent 
me  a  photograph  of  the  drawing  completed  by  "  the  spirit," 
and  the  signature  to  it :  I  could  not  perceive  any  symptom 
of  genuineness  in  either — the  signature  being  in  that  sort 
of  semi-Gothicized  or  semi-legal  text-hand  which  one  often 
sees  over  shop-fronts  in  Italy  and  France. — Beppo  Giusti 
is  the  satirical  poet  Giuseppe  Giusti.] 

Florence,  Ponte  Vecchio,  2. 
13  November  1866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Your  letter  confirms  my  idea  that 
our  opinions  agree  on  all  subjects.  My  friend  Trelawny  is 
the  only  man  I  know  who  thinks  as  we  do  of  Mazzini.  As 
to  religion,  he,  T[relawny],  has  none,  any  more  than  I  had 
before  my  spirit-revelation.  He  says :  "  I  neither  believe 
nor  disbelieve  :  I  have  no  evidence."  He  does  not  care 
about  it,  and  has  had  no  experience,  as  I  have.  .  .  . 

Did  I  tell  you  that  Dante  has  lately  drawn  part  of  his 
own  portrait,  and  written  his  name  under  it,  to  oblige  me? 
He  spells  his  name  with  two  ll's,  Dante  Allighieri,  which 
is  not  the  common  way  in  Italy.  The  writing  agrees 
wonderfully  with  Leonardo  Aretino's  description.    There  is 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


no  specimen  extant  in  Italy.  It  is  in  a  sort  of  Gothic 
character,  but  not  so  ancient  as  I  should  have  expected.  I 
have  MSS.  even  of  the  thirteenth  century  written  by  Floren- 
tines. He  is  now  at  Venice.  He  was  with  Garibaldi.  All 
my  spirits  left  me  when  the  war  began  (except  two  females), 
and  only  came  three  times,  to  tell  me  news  before  it  was 
known  in  Florence.  .  .  . 

I  always  said  I  would  believe  in  a  future  life  if  anybody 
would  come  back  to  tell  me  of  it.  Well,  they  have  come — 
perhaps  fifty  in  the  twelve  last  years  ;  and  the  American 
Minister  at  Turin  told  me  that  in  his  country  respectable 
and  competent  witnesses  of  such  facts  were  counted  not  by 
thousands  but  by  millions.  .  .  . 

Your  poor  Father  had  the  whole  Connnedia  by  heart ! 
Beppo  Giusti,  whom  I  knew  intimately,  had  the  same 
power.  .  .  . — Ever  yours  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 

In  Verona  Pietro  Dante  suppressed  one  "  1,"  and  made 
it  "  Aliger,"  to  be  in  fashion  and  favour  at  the  Court  of  the 
Scaligers.  Hence  the  arms  were  changed  to  a  wing,  canting 
arms.  I  have  a  tracing  from  the  real  arms  of  Dante,  drawn 
in  1302,  the  year  of  his  banishment.    It  agrees  with  Pelli. 


133. — John  Ruskin  to  William  Rossettl 

[Refers  to  my  brochure  on  Swinburne's  Poems  and 
Ballads.'] 

Denmark  Hill. 
2  December  1866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  don't  often  read  criticisms  (disliking 
my  own  as  much  as  or  more  than  other  people's),  but  I 
have  read  this ;  and  like  it  much — and  entirely  concur  with 
it  as  far  as  you  have  carried  it.  But  you  have  left  the 
fearful  and  melancholy  mystery  untouched,   it   seems  to 


TEODORICO  PIETROCOLA-ROSSETTI,  1866  217 


me,  .  .  .  the  corruption  which  is  peculiar  to  the  genius  of 
modern  days. 

I  hope  George  Richmond  will  dine  with  me  on  Tuesday 
next,  the  4th,  at  six  :  if  this  reaches  you  in  time,  I  wish  you 
could  come  too.  It  is  so  long  since  I  have  seen  you. — Ever 
faithfully  yours, 

J.  RUSKIN. 

Love  to  Gabriel  always. 


134.— Teodorico  Pietrocola-Rossetti  to  William 
ROSSETTI — ( Translation). 

[Our  Cousin  Teodorico  made,  and  eventually  published, 
a  skilful  translation  of  Christina  Rossetti's  Goblin  Market: 
it  is  this  of  which  he  speaks  as  //  Mercato  dei  Folletti. — The 
name  of  Pasquale  de'  Virgilii  is  known  to  me,  not  solely 
through  Teodorico's  letter ;  but  I  must  confess  myself  still 
ignorant  of  his  works. — Filippo  Polidori  was  a  first  Cousin 
of  my  Mother.  Under  the  Grand-ducal  government  of 
Tuscany  he  held  a  legal  or  official  post  of  some  repute ;  but, 
when  Tuscany  was  absorbed  in  the  Kingdom  of  Italy,  he 
was  regarded  as  a  "  Codino,"  or  effete  adherent  of  the  old 
regime,  and  he  lost  his  post,  and  spent  his  closing  years  in 
some  straits.  He  left  a  family ;  one  son  is  still  living,  also 
(in  Alessandria  and  Florence)  the  son's  wife,  and  some 
children  and  grandchildren.  Teodorico  refers  to  the  cause 
of  Polidori's  death  ;  it  was,  I  think,  a  fall  downstairs.] 

Casa  Guicciardini,  Florence. 
22  December  1866. 

My  very  dear  William, —  .  .  .  Not  having  yet  taken  a 
settled  home,  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  from  Turin  the 
trunks  containing  books  and  MSS.;  so  I  have  not  yet  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  and  publishing  //  Mercato  dei  Folletti. 
But  I  trust  to  be  able  to  do  so  shortly.  I  am  curious  to  see 
what  effect  may  be  produced  on  the  Italians  by  Christina's 


218 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


style  of  poetry,  so  daring  and  fresh  and  fine.  As  regards 
poems,  here  among  us  all  is  still  regulated,  and  conformable 
to  the  rules  of  the  Ars  Poetica  ;  if  one  excepts  one  Abruzzese, 
a  friend  of  mine,  Pasquale  de'  Virgilii,  who  has  broken  the 
Horatian  dykes,  and  goes  ahead  untrammelled,  producing 
excellent  things,  but  little  appreciated.  Lately  he  wrote  a 
historic  drama,  Nicolb  de'  Rienzi,  worth  its  weight  in  gold.  .  .  . 

You  will  have  learned  by  now  that  a  most  sad  home- 
occurrence  has  quenched  the  life  of  good,  excellent  Signor 
Filippo  Polidori.  The  poor  widow,  and  his  son,  are  incon- 
solable. .  .  . — Your  very  affectionate  Cousin, 

T.  PlETROCOLA-ROSSETTI. 


135. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[Kirkup,  in  speaking  of  "  my  unexpected  honours,"  refers 
to  the  fact  that  he  had  recently  been  created  a  Barone  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Italy. — ''Mrs  W Ms,  nee  Howitt,"  was  Mrs  Anna 
Mary  Howitt- Watts,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Howitt, 
and  at  one  time  a  promising  oil-painter,  apart  from  being 
"  an  extraordinary  spirit-drawing  medium  "  :  I  had  first  met 
her  as  far  back  as  1850  or  185 1. — "  Dugald  Massey"  is  mis- 
takenly written  by  Kirkup  for  "  Gerald  Massey."] 

Florence,  2  Ponte  Vecchio. 
30  December  1 866. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  am  no  flincher  from  the  truth, 
which  is  all  that  I  care  for ;  and,  though  I  cherish  my  new 
religion,  I  should  resign  it  if  any  proof  could  be  brought 
against  it.  I  acquired  it  easily  enough,  for  I  had  no  false 
religion  to  unlearn.    I  was  like  my  friend  Trelawny.  .  .  . 

I  have  a  .  .  .  Comedy  performed  before  the  Court  of 
the  Medici,  and  has  been  printed  in  three  editions — La 
Vedova,  Comedia  facetissima  di  M.  Nicolo  Buonaparte,  Citta- 
dino  Fiorentino,  15 18;  and  dedicated  to  a  "nobilissima  e 


WAHINGTON  TAYLOR,  1866 


219 


gentilissima  Signora."  You  may  see  it  at  the  British 
Museum,  for  my  copy  is  a  duplicate  that  they  sold  in  1769. 
King  Louis  Bonaparte  sent  his  nephew  and  his  librarian  to 
offer  me  10  louis  for  it,  and  I  told  them  I  never  parted  with 
my  friends  in  paper  or  parchment.  .  .  . 

I  think  I  told  you  that  Dante  had  returned,  and  claims 
to  be  the  cause  of  my  unexpected  honours.  He  has  written 
his  name,  and  drawn  part  of  his  own  portrait.  .  .  . 

Do  you  know  Mrs  Watts,  nee  Howitt,  an  extraordinary 
spirit-drawing  medium  ?  .  .  . — Yours  sincerely, 

S.  KiRKUP. 

I  enclose  my  mask  of  Dante,  the  best  that  is  known ; 
likewise  one  for  your  Brother,  and  one  for  Swinburne,  with 
my  regards. 

Have  you  seen  a  work  on  Shakespear's  Sonnets,  written 
by  his  spirit,  edited  by  Dugald  Massey  ?  What  is  it  ?  An 
American  told  me  of  it. 


136.— Warington  Taylor  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  appear  to  have  been  solicited  by  some  person — but  I 
don't  now  in  the  least  recollect  by  whom — to  introduce  the 
words  of  some  song  to  the  notice  of  a  musical  critic.  Not 
being  myself  familiar  with  that  branch  of  criticism,  I  must 
have  sought  advice  from  Mr  Warington  Taylor,  the  Manager 
of  the  Morris  Firm,  who  had  previously  been  connected  with 
one  of  the  opera-houses.  He  replied  as  follows,  in  terms 
which  would  not  have  been  highly  gratifying  to  musical 
critics.] 

[London.] 
31  December  1866. 

My  dear  William, — Received  your  letter  yesterday. 
Cannot  do  anything  with  critics  without  I  could  see  them, 


220 


ROSSETtI  PAPERS 


which  is  beyond  me  now.  But  critics  do  not  signify  two- 
pence for  single  ballads.  The  great  thing  is  to  get  it  sung 
half  a  dozen  times  at  large  concerts  by  a  really  popular 
singer.  Of  course  I  am  speaking  of  the  whole  matter  purely 
in  a  commercial  light.  The  song  in  question  is  sung  by 
Miss  Pyne — excellent — better  person  could  not  be  to  make  a 
song.  But  in  England  the  thing  is  to  conciliate  that  person  ; 
if  she  don't  like  the  words,  strike  'em  out — put  in  others — 
put  in  what  she  likes.  Singers,  and  particularly  singers  of 
acknowledged  position,  look  upon  newspaper-writers  with 
contempt.  To  take  to  Miss  Pyne  the  opinion  of  a  critic 
is  treating  her  with  contempt.  She  would  throw  the  song 
in  the  fire.  You  do  not  know  in  what  contempt  newspaper- 
critics  are  held  in  London  by  the  profession.  If  Miss  P[yne] 
will  sing  that  song  a  few  times,  if  she  will  declare  it  worth 
anything,  if  she  says  it  is  popular,  Chappell  will  buy  it  at^ 
once  and  publish  it.  .  .  .  It  is  a  great  thing  for  a  new  man  to 
get  to  a  great  publisher  like  Chappell :  .  .  .  but  Chappell,  for 
a  first  song,  would  not  give  above  ^5.  But  remember  what 
he  can  do — look  how  he  keeps  your  name  before  the  public  ; 
every  week  these  enormous  advertisements ;  no  private 
individual  could  afford  it.  The  thing  is  to  keep  your  name 
continually  in  print.  Look  how  Dan  Godfrey  was  made  by 
that  house.  He  got  £^  for  The  Guards'  Waltz — Chappell 
made  thousands,  and  behaved  very  first-rate  to  Dan. 

Summa :  work  Miss  Pyne  properly,  and  then  Chappell. 
— Yours, 

W.  Taylor. 


137.— William  Rossetti— Diary. 

1867.  Saturday^  12  January. —  .  .  .  Went  down  at 
Swinburne's  invitation  to  visit  his  Father  at  Plolmwood. 
The  old  gentleman  is  kindly  and  conversible,  and  has  seen 
and  observed  a  number  of  things.  Lady  J[ane]  Swinburne 
has  an  attaching  air  and  manner,  and  seems  very  agreeable 
in  home-life — simple,  dignified,  and  clever.    There  are  three 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI—DIARY,  1867 


221 


daughters  at  home,  all  sensible  and  agreeable ;  the  second 
with  a  handsome  sprightly  face,  and  the  youngest  evi- 
dently talented.  The  younger  son  was  unwell,  and  has 
not  shown.  Swinburne  shows  well  at  home,  being  affec- 
tionate in  his  manner  with  all  the  family,  and  ready  in 
conversing.  .  .  . 

Stmday,  13  January. — Stayed  in  at  Holmwood  all  day, 
the  snow  being  tolerably  thick  (day  fine  and  cold) ;  save 
for  a  stroll  about  the  grounds,  which  are  pleasant,  as  also 
the  house.  Swinburne  read  me  at  night  his  poem,  approach- 
ing completion,  on  Italy ;  yesterday,  one  which  he  has 
written  for  the  Candiote  refugees,  to  give  them  the  profits. 
He  also  showed  me  the  dedication  to  me  of  his  book  on 
Blake.  There  is  at  Holmwood  a  portrait  of  Lady  Jane 
done  by  Kirkup  some  thirty-five  or  so  years  ago. 

Monday^  14  January. — Came  home  :  intensely  cold.  .  .  . 
The  Swinburne  family  generally  have  Algernon's  passion 
for  cats.  Admiral  Swinburne  was  at  one  time  stationed 
off  St  Helena :  he  saw  Napoleon,  but  only  in  a  casual  way, 
far  off.  He  has  not  a  bad  opinion  of  Sir  H[udson]  Lowe 
personally ;  and  says  there  is  reason  to  think  that  the 
attempts  made  by  Napoleon  and  his  suite  to  carry  on 
clandestine  communications  etc.  etc.  were  incessant  and 
most  perplexing.  .  .  . 

Wednesday^  16  January. — Accompanied  Swinburne  in 
looking  out,  at  the  British  Museum  Print-Room,  such  Blake 
designs  as  might  be  adapted  for  re-production  in  his  book. 
Obtained  a  formal  ticket  of  admission  to  Print-Room.  .  .  . 
Jones,  who  came  round  to  us  at  Chelsea  in  the  evening,  says 
his  triptych  of  The  A  deration  oj  the  Kings  sold  lately  for  £'j 
at  a  sale  of  effects,  since  which  Bodley  has  re-purchased  it 
for  ^50.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  22  January. — G[abriel]  dined  by  appointment 
with  Procter,*  to  enquire  particulars  about  Wainwright,-j- 
and  received  a  good  deal  of  information.    I  went  to  the 

*  The  so-called  Barry  Cornwall. 

t  Wainwright  was  suspected  of  poisoning  his  wife  and  some  one 
else  (towards  1835  perhaps)  :  this  charge  was  not  brought  home  to  him, 


222 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Burlington.*  .  .  .  Leighton  there,  very  much  dissatisfied 
with  the  various  designs  sent  in  for  a  new  National 
Gallery.  .  .  . 

Monday^  28  January. —  .  .  .  Macmillan  replies  that  he 
will  publish,  on  half  profits,  the  selection  of  my  old  articles, 
as  compiled  by  me  in  the  second  instance,  without  curtail- 
ment. 

Tuesday^  29  January. — Howell  selecting  some  autographs 
from  among  the  letters  and  papers  which  G[abriel]  brought 
away  with  him  from  Chatham  Place  in  '62 :  the  bulk  of  the 
residue  burned.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  5  February. — Accompanied  G[abriel]  to  Marks's, 

to  look  at  the  Chinese  furniture  he  has  bought  there.  .  .  . 
Met  here  Birket  Foster,  who  commissioned  G[abriel]  for  two 
pictures.f  Went  on  to  dine  with  Whistler,  for  his  house- 
warming  at  his  new  house  in  Lindsey  Row.  There  are 
some  fine  old  fixtures,  as  doors,  fireplace,  etc. ;  and  W[histler] 
has  got-up  the  rooms  with  many  delightful  Japanesisms  etc. 
Saw  for  the  first  time  his  pagoda  cabinet.  He  has  two 
or  three  sea-pieces  new  to  me :  one  on  which  he  particularly 
lays  stress,  larger  than  the  others,  a  very  grey  unbroken 
sea  :  also  a  clever  vivacious  portrait  of  himself  begun.  Light 
not  sufficient  for  judging  any  of  these  adequately.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  6  February. — My  Aunt  Margaret  is  now  given 
over,  and  not  expected  to  live  beyond  to-morrow  evening 
at  furthest.  Copied  out  and  sent  to  Dilberoglue  such 
passages  from  Stillman's  letters  concerning  Crete  as  could  be 
publicly  used  without  identifying  or  compromising  him. 

Thursday,  J  February. — Saw  my  Aunt  in  the  morning — as 
it  proves,  for  the  last  time.  .  .  .  G[abriel]  came  in  later  in 
the  evening.      The  poor  little  tame  barn-owl  Jessie  has 

but  he  was  convicted  of  a  forgery  or  fraud,  and  transported.  He  was  a 
painter,  also  an  art-critic  under  the  pseudonym  of  Janus  Weathercock. 
My  Brother  thought  his  criticisms  marked  by  much  discernment,  and  had, 
towards  this  time,  rather  a  "  fad  "  for  knowing  something  about  him. 
The  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club, 
t  I  think  these  pictures  were  executed,  but  have  forgotten  what  they 
were. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867  223 


had  a  horrid  end,  being  found  with  her  head  bitten  off — 
it  is  surmised  by  the  raven,  which  Hves  in  the  same  cage, 
but  had  hitherto,  by  the  experience  of  many  weeks,  appeared 
on  perfectly  good  terms  with  her.  The  fate  of  our  beasts 
at  Chelsea  has  been  a  most  calamitous  one.  Two  grass- 
green  parrakeets  starved  to  death ;  a  green  Jersey  lizard 
killed  by  a  servant  because  he  was  regarded  as  a  poisonous 
eft ;  a  dormouse  found  with  a  hole  in  his  throat,  conjectured 
to  be  done  by  the  other  dormice  ;  Loader's  dog  *  split  up 
the  back  by  the  deerhound ;  a  tortoise  found  dead  and 
shrivelled,  perhaps  through  inability  to  get  at  food  : — not  to 
speak  of  natural  but  sudden  deaths  of  two  robins,  a  cardinal 
grosbeak,  a  salamander,  etc.  etc.  There  was  also  a  rabbit 
eaten  up  (by  cats  ?)  all  but  his  tail,  a  pigeon  devoured  by  a 
hedgehog — which  was  afterwards  found  dead,  and  supposed 
by  G[abriel]  killed  by  the  servants  intentionally — another 
pigeon  which  got  paralysed  or  something,  and  lost  all  control 
over  its  movements. 

Friday,  8  February. — My  Aunt  died  about  5  J  this 
morning,  in  a  state  of  great  exhaustion,  but  not  apparently 
much  pain.    Her  age  was  seventy-three.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  14  February. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  came  in  the 
evening.  He  suggests  to  Christina  to  name  to  Roberts 
Brothers  (her  American  publishers),  who  wanted  her  to 
propose  some  artist  to  illustrate  somewhat  cheaply  some 
one  of  her  poems,  Hughes,  Houghton,  and  subordinately 
Wigand  and  Knewstub.f  These  publishers  sent  Christina 
the  other  day  ;^38.  los.,  being  the  10  per  cent,  upon  her 
sale  :  3000  copies  have  been  printed,  and  all  disposed  of 
save  400  (or  else  600).  G[abriel]  says  his  income  in  1865 
was  about  £20^0  ;  in  1866  ;^  1800  odd. 

Friday,  1 5  February. — Delivered   the  materials   of  my 

*  Loader  was  my  Brother's  servant. 

t  Arthur  Hughes  the  painter  ;  Houghton  already  mentioned  ;  Wigand 
was  a  young  man  known  more  particularly  to  some  of  my  Aunts  ;  W.  J. 
Knewstub  was  my  Brother's  pupil.  In  a  previous  book  of  mine  he  was 
termed  my  Brother's  "  professional  assistant "  ;  but  this  seems  to  imply 
a  salaried  post,  which  is  not  correct. 


224 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Selection  to  Macmillan.  Jones  called  at  Chelsea.  He  says 
that  Watts  debated  and  consulted  friends  as  to  whether 
or  not  he  should  accept  the  R.A.  Associateship,  and  finally 
determined  to  do  so.  .  .  .  J[ones]  says  he  himself  feels  much 
like  a  fish  out  of  water  in  the  Water-Colour  Society,  and 
often  doubts  whether  he  did  well  in  joining  it. 

Satui'day,  1 6  February. — G[abriel]'s  little  oil-picture  sold  to 
Leyland,  The  Christmas  Carol,  a  girl  singing  and  playing  on  a 
lute,  is  now  finished.  In  consequence  of  my  Aunt  Margaret's 
death,  the  question  arises  whether  we  shall  incur  expense 
upon  our  present  house  (i66  Albany  Street)  by  way  of 
utilizing  the  rooms  she  used  to  occupy,  or  whether  we  shall 
look  out  for  another  house.  In  the  latter  case  my  Aunts 
Charlotte  and  Eliza  would  like  to  join,  which  would  enable 
us  to  take  a  house  at  the  rent  of  i^i  lo  or  thereabouts.  .  .  . 

Friday,  22  February. — Called  on  Hotten  relative  to  the 
proofs  of  Swinburne's  Blake,  which  are  in  some  muddle. 
H[otten]  showed  me  a  paragraph  in  an  American  paper 
edited  by  Bryant,  setting  forth  the  affair  of  the  sale  by 
Moxon  of  the  suppressed  copies  of  Poems  and  Ballads ; 
slips  of  this  paragraph  have  been  printed  off ;  also  a  long 
criticism  on  Swinburne,  very  favourable  on  the  whole,  in 
a  German  newspaper.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  23  February. — Visited  the  Dudley  Gallery,  con- 
taining Brown's  Betrothal  of  Cordelia,  two  subjects  from 
poems  by  Christina,*  etc.  .  .  .  Went  to  the  Zoological 
Gardens,  first  time  for  some  months.  The  great  rufous  owl 
is  called  Pel's  owl :  the  black  wombat  very  fat ;  four  tigers 
fed  in  the  same  cage.  Each  (with  much  less  ado  and 
savagery  than  the  lion)  stood  up  to  take  his  hunch  of  meat, 
disposed  of  it  in  a  trice,  and  exchanged  greetings  with  his 
neighbour,  rubbing  noses,  etc.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  26  February. — Saw  Sandys's  Medea,  which  is 
getting  on,  and  coming,  I  think,  his  best  work.    Saffi  dined 

They  were  by  Eliza  Martin  and  Mr  Jopling  :  the  latter  was  slightly 
known  to  me,  but  not  to  Christina.  The  lady  used  the  quotation  "  Life 
is  not  good"  etc.  :  Mr  Jopling's  subject  was  Lady  Maggie  (poem  Maggie 
a  Lady).    I  do  not  remember  either  work. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867  225 


with  us  at  Chelsea,  along  with  Scott  and  Howell.  Saffi 
does  not  seem  to  contemplate  settling  in  Italy  at  present : 
he  considers  that  the  country  has  produced  no  statesman 
since  Cavour,  and  in  especial  no  financier,  and  that  the 
financial  condition  is  ominous.  He  says  that  Ugo  Bassi, 
the  priest  who  along  with  Gavazzi  was  prominent  in  the 
Hospitals  of  Rome  under  the  Triumvirs,  being  caught  by 
the  Papal  legate  Bedini,  was  actually,  before  being  exe- 
cuted, flayed,  fingers  and  crown  of  the  head,  according  to 
some  old  ceremonial  for  the  degrading  of  priests :  this  he 
asserts  to  be  an  ascertained  and  incontrovertible  fact.  He 
considers  the  Neapolitan  and  Southern  provinces  to  be 
especially  fertile  of  a  clever  population,  and  that  they  will 
probably  take  the  intellectual  lead  shortly.  Armellini,  his 
co-Triumvir,  is  dead  :  he  does  not  believe  much  in  Gavazzi, 
but  seems  to  have  a  friendly  feeling  towards  him.  .  .  , 
Howell  says  that  Carlyle  got  Ruskin  to  join  the  Eyre 
Defence  Fund  *  by  urging  him  to  second  C[arlyle]  in  that 
body ;  and  that  Ruskin  now  considers  himself  somewhat 
left  in  the  lurch  by  C[arlyle]'s  absence  in  Italy,  while 
R[uskin],  who  would  willingly  have  kept  out  of  the  whole 
affair,  remains  here  to  bear  the  brunt.  Sandys  told  me  the 
other  day  that  Rose,  or  the  Defence  Committee,  has  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Gordon's  father,  who  actually  applauds 
the  hanging  of  his  son.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  3  March. —  .  .  .  Mamma  yesterday  saw  Woolner, 
who  has  been  to  Florence,  Rome,  Naples,  Mentone,  etc. : 
enormously  delighted,  and  especially  wath  Naples ;  Florence, 
where  he  had  incessant  rain,  much  less.  He  says  Hunt  is 
much  overcome,  and  greatly  wrapped  up  now  in  his  infant, 
which  seems  ominously  delicate.  He  proposes  to  send  it 
to  Mrs  Waugh,-|-  and  to  go  on  himself  in  course  of  time  to 
Jerusalem.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  5  March. — Howell  says  that  ...  at  Ruskin's 

*  The  fund  for  defending  Governor  Eyre,  of  Jamaica,  against  certain 
proceedings  consequent  upon  his  acts  in  suppressing  or  punishing  an 
insurrection. 

t  Mother  of  Holman-Hunt's  late  wife. 

P 


226 


ROSSt:TTi  PAPERS 


marriage  ^^40,000  was  settled  on  Mrs  R[uskin] ;  and  that, 
as  far  as  he  can  trace  out  in  the  accounts,  this  sum  has 
remained  with  her,  spite  of  the  nullity-of-marriage  suit. 
He  regards  this  as  intentional  generosity  on  R[uskin]'s 
part,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  ascertained  whether 
R[uskin]  had  really  any  power  of  revoking  the  settle- 
ment. .  .  . 

Saturday^  9  March. — Kirkup  sent  me  a  photograph  of 
the  face  of  Dante  which  he  drew,  and  to  which  Dante's 
ghost  (according  to  himself)  added  the  outline  of  the  head, 
a  wreath,  and  the  signature.  I  see  no  look  of  genuineness 
in  these  additions.  Brown  called,  and  borrowed  some  Italian 
photographs,  to  use  in  the  background  of  the  Balcony- 
scene  from  Romeo  and  Juliet  which  he  is  painting.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  12  March. — Swinburne,  who  had  accompanied 
Scott  to  the  Burlington,  says  that  he  received  yesterday, 
to  his  unspeakable  satisfaction,  a  letter  from  Mazzini  con- 
sequent upon  S[winburne]'s  poem  on  the  Cretan  Insurrec- 
tion in  the  Fortnightly.  M[azzini]  urges  him  to  devote  his 
poetic  powers  to  the  great  public  cause,  laying  aside  love 
etc.  poems.  S[winburne]  thinks  very  well  of  the  comedy 
and  self-vindication  written  by  Lorenzino  de'  Medici,*  which 
I  lent  him.    Gabriel  has  resumed  work  on  his  Lady  LilitJi. 

Wednesday^  13  March. — Forwarded  to  the  Telegraph  two 
more  Cretan  letters  from  Stillman,  and  (observing  that  the 
last  two  do  not  seem  to  have  been  published)  enquired 
whether  they  contemplate  continuing  the  correspondence. 

TJmrsday^  14  March. — A[lecco]  lonides  having  invited 
me  to  be  introduced  to  the  new  Greek  Minister,  Sir  Peter 
Braila,  I  called  on  the  latter  (i  Clarges  Street).  He  is 
evidently  a  man  of  great  intelligence,  and  well  up  even  in 
such  questions  as  the  merits  of  V[ictor]  Hugo,  Tennyson, 
etc.  From  the  turn  the  conversation  took,  I  infer  that  his 
real  object  in  wishing  to  know  me  was  to  see  whether  I 
could  be  got  to  write  for  the  Cretan  cause  in  some  news- 
paper— for  which  however  I  have  no  opening.  He  seems 
tolerably  confident   of  the   early   release   of  Crete  from 

*  See  p.  247. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867  227 


Turkey,  and  junction  to  Greece ;  but  is  anxious  that  the 
influence  of  England  towards  that  result  should  not  lag 
behind  that  of  France  and  Russia. 

Friday,  15  March. — Gabriel  re-painting  the  head  of  his 
Venus.  Robertson  the  dramatist  called  by  appointment  to 
read  the  drama  Caste  which  he  has  forthcoming :  it  is  a 
work  of  decided  ability,  and  I  should  say  an  assured 
success.  G[abriel]  tells  me  he  understands  R[obertson]  used 
to  be  a  travelling  showman.  I  should  not  have  guessed  it 
from  his  conversation  and  manner,  though  no  doubt  these 
might  be  toned  down  a  little.  .  .  .  Robertson  was  the  last 
man  who  saw  Artemus  Ward  alive,  but  already  insensible, 
at  Southampton.  He  says  his  disease  was  not  consump- 
tion ;  but  thinks  that  Ward  had  been  living  very  fast  some 
little  while  before  coming  over  to  England,  and  that  his 
constitution  was  thus  shattered.  He  had  a  great  regard 
for  V/[ard].  .  .  . 

Monday,  18  March. —  .  .  .  Woodward  v\^rites  me  that  Day 
and  Son  have  just  given  up  The  Fine  Arts  Quarterly.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  20  March. —  .  .  .  Christina  has  been  solicited 
by  Elliot  and  Fry  to  sit  for  her  photograph — they  have 
already  done  Miss  Ingelow  and  Mrs  Riddell :  but  she  declines.* 

Thursday,  21  March. —  .  .  .  Visited  Christie's,  to  see 
Rose's  pictures  there  collected  for  sale :  Gabriel's  Joan  of 
Arc,  Doubles, \  etc.;  Jones's  Buondeluionte,  Laus  Veneris, 
etc. ;  Legros,  Chapman,  etc.  It  looks  to  me  as  if  they 
would  not  sell  high.  Met  here  Howell.  ...  He  means  at 
Rose's  sale  to  buy-in  all  Jones's  pictures  on  Ruskin's 
account — to  be  replaced  at  Jones's  disposal  for  re-sale,  and 
any  profit  to  remain  for  J  [ones].  ... 

Saturday,  23  March. — Looked  in  at  the  sale  of  Rose's 
pictures.  Gabriel's  fetched  the  highest  prices  obtained,  yet 
not  high — £g\.  lOs.  for  the  Joan  of  Arc.  Also  went  to  see 
the   Japanese  conjurors  at  the  Floral  Hall :   curious  and 

*  I  no  longer  recollect  Christina's  precise  reason  for  declining.  It 
must,  in  a  general  way,  have  been  modesty,  based  on  religious  con- 
siderations. 

t  The  subject  entitled  How  they  met  Themselves. 


228 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


good.  What  amused  me  most  was  the  gestures  of  the 
conjuror  in  the  mask  of  a  tiger-cat.  The  two  girls,  stated 
to  be  aged  fourteen  and  sixteen,  are  less  grown  and 
developed  than  English  girls  of  corresponding  age.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  26  March. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  received  the 
Botticelli  (female  half-figure)  which  he  bought  at  Christie's 
(Colnaghi's  sale)  the  other  day  for  £20.  .  .  .  Here  is  a 
generous  act  of  Swinburne's — Chapman  my  authority. 
S[winburne]  and  others  dined  the  other  day  with  Knight, 
of  The  Sunday  Times^  concerning  whose  wife's  trust-money 
there  was  some  difficulty  then  just  turned  up.  This  difficulty 
came  to  Swinburne's  ears  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  and  he 
wrote  to  Knight  (who  showed  C[hapman]  the  letter)  saying 
that  he  happened  then  to  have  £200  in  bank,  which  he 
placed  at  K[night]'s  disposal.  K[night]  declined  with 
thanks.  .  .  . 

Friday^  29  March. — Gabriel  painting  a  water-colour, 
founded  on  an  old  design,  of  a  woman  having  her  hair 
combed  out  upwards.  He  has  painted  on  the  back  of  the 
head  of  his  Botticelli,  and  improved  it  very  sensibly — the 
previous  condition  of  this  part  of  the  picture  being  obviously 
wrong,  and  I  understand  injured  by  previous  cleaning. 
Whistler  looked  in.  He  says  that  he  never  from  first  to 
last  received  any  invitation  to  contribute  to  the  British 
Section  of  the  Paris  Exhibition.  This  might  seem  invidious  : 
but  the  result  is  that  he  gets  in  the  American  Section  much 
more  space  than  could  have  been  allotted  him  in  the  British. 
He  will  have  pictures  in  this  Exhibition,  in  the  ordinary 
French  Salon,  and  in  the  R.A.,  this  year.  The  Salon 
people,  or  some  of  them,  have  shown  a  high  estimate  of 
him.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  31  Maixh. — Called  to  see  Whistler's  pictures  for 
the  R.A.  etc.  To  the  R.A.  he  means  to  send  Symphony  in 
White  No.  3  (heretofore  named  The  Two  Little  White  Girls) 
and  a  Thames  picture ;  possibly  also  one  of  his  four  sea- 
pictures  ;  and  I  rather  recommended  him  to  select  the 
largest  of  these,  which  he  regards  with  predilection,  of  a 
grey  sea  and  very  grey  sky.    His  picture  of  four  Japanese 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867 


229 


women  looking  out  on  a  water-background  (Thames)  is  as 
good  as  done,  and  in  many  respects  very  excellent.  I  think 
the  unmitigated  tint  of  the  flooring  should  be  gradated,  but 
he  does  not  seem  to  see  it.  .  .  . 

Saturday^  6  April.— At  the  request  of  Reid,  Keeper  of 
the  British  Museum  Print-room,  called  to  see  a  MS.  in  the 
MS.  department  which  has  been  offered  through  Colnaghi 
as  the  production  of  Blake.  I  am  quite  satisfied  Blake  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  composition  or  transcription  of  the 
verses,  or  the  composition  or  execution  of  the  designs ;  and 
said  so,  promising  to  bring  round  our  MS.  book  for  com- 
parison. Dined  with  the  lonides  (first  time  I  have  been 
there).  It  was  the  anniversary-day  of  the  Greeks  in 
connexion  with  their  Revolution.  The  members  of  the 
family  seem  all  very  intelligent,  and  the  women  especially 
well-informed  and  interested  in  intellectual  subjects — as  is 
also  the  case  with  the  Spartalis.  Miss  I[onides]  tells  me 
that  Homer  is  read  entirely  by  accent,  and  the  value  of 
longs  and  shorts  not  now  understood  :  she  has  herself  done 
a  hexametral,  and  I  understand  quantitative,  translation  of 
the  first  four  books  of  The  Iliad. 

Tuesday,  9  April — Maclennan  called.  He  .  .  .  says 
that  his  professional  income  has  not  of  late  been  improving, 
but  the  contrary;  which  he  attributes  partly  to  some  pre- 
judice consequent  upon  his  book  on  Primitive  Marriage, 
and  partly  to  the  fact  that  some  of  his  legal  employers 
have  had  immediate  connexions  of  their  own  called  to 
the  bar  lately,  and  have  transferred  their  business  to 
these.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  10  April. — Showed  our  Blake  MS.  to  Bond 
of  the  British  Museum,  who  appears  to  be  now  satisfied  that 
the  volume  offered  to  the  Museum  is  not  Blake's. 

Thursday,  11  April. — Murray  sent  Christina  a  cheque  for 
£21  for  her  translating-work  on  the  architectural  book. 

Friday,  12  April. — Gabriel  is  now  doing  a  Paolo  and 
Francesca  water-colour :  substantially  a  duplicate  of  the 
composition  in  the  triptych-subject,  but  much  altered  in 
background  and  effect.  .  .  . 


230 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Tuesday,  i6  April. —  .  .  .  G[abriel]  and  I  met  Scott  at 
the  Burlington  in  the  evening.  S[cott]  says  that  Swinburne, 
being  at  Karl  Blind's  the  other  evening,  met  Mazzini 
personally  for  the  first  time.  M[azzini]  walked  straight  up 
to  S[winburne],  who  fell  on  his  knee  before  him  and 
kissed  his  hand.  .  .  . 

Friday,  19  April. — Gabriel  doing  a  study  ...  for  a 
picture  which  he  proposes  to  call  The  Loving-Cup.  He  has 
also  done  a  study  for  a  Margaret  with  the  Jewels.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  23  April. — Gabriel  has  begun  the  small  oil- 
picture  of  The  Loving- Cup.  ...  I  having  said  in  the  course  of 
conversation  that  I  had  found  Jones's  opinion  of  Leighton 
entirely  changed  of  late,  and  now  very  favourable  to  him  as 
a  man,  Howell  tells  me  that  L[eighton],  observing  the 
prejudice  Jones  had  conceived  against  him,  called  on  J[ones] 
some  while  ago,  and  in  the  handsomest  manner  expressed 
his  high  admiration  of  J[ones]  as  a  painter,  and  his  wish  to 
serve  him  in  any  possible  way,  and  to  stand  well  in  his 
estimation.  J[ones]'s  aversion  could  naturally  not  stand  out 
against  this.  ...  I  am  surprised  to  hear  (from  Howell)  that 
Lord  Houghton  was  (equally  to  Swinburne  with  Mazzini) 
most  demonstrative  towards  Garibaldi  when  the  latter  was 
in  London  two  or  three  years  ago, — H[oughton]  having 
actually,  on  being  introduced  to  him,  knelt  down  and  kissed 
his  knees,  not  much  to  G[aribaldi]'s  satisfaction.  .  .  . 

Friday,  26  April — Gabriel  spoke  to  me  about  his  health, 
which  in  one  respect  has  for  some  time  past  not  been 
right :  he  had  consulted  Marshall  about  it  before  he  left 
town  in  the  autumn,  and  ought  probably  to  be  seeing 
about  it  again  now.  He  says  that  Swinburne  called  on  him 
the  other  day,  and  said  he  has  been  seeing  a  great  deal  of 
Mazzini,  partly  at  the  latter's  own  house ;  that  M[azzini] 
can  be  amusing  in  conversation,  in  describing  people  he 
has  met,  etc.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  30  April. — Called  on  Conway  to  fetch  the 
edition  of  Whitman  which  he  had  offered  me.  He  lent  me 
also  the  pamphlet  (in  proofs)  which  Burroughs  has  written 
on  W[hitman].  .  .  . 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867  231 


Thursday,  2  May. — Began  re-studying  Walt  Whitman 
for  the  article  I  am  to  write  on  him  in  The  Chronicle.^  .  .  . 

Sunday,  5  May. — Mamma  now  expresses  her  readiness 
to  move  to  the  house  we  saw  in  Euston  Square,  provided 
we  can  get  it  for  £\2Q. 

Monday,  6  May. — Went  for  a  short  time  to  the  R.A.  ;  it 
strikes  me  as  a  very  vulgar  and  tawdry  exhibition.  Millais, 
I  fear,  going  off  seriously  {Jephtha,  etc.).  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  7  May. —  .  .  .  Swinburne  called — full  of  his 
interviews  with  Mazzini ;  who  has  a  great  objection  to  the 
present  Italian  Government,  even  apart  from  the  question 
of  monarchy,  and  would  prefer  to  leave  the  Roman  States 
quiet  for  five  years  or  so,  rather  than  see  them  annexed  to 
the  present  Italian  Kingdom  by  an  immediate  revolutionary 
movement,  as  contemplated  (it  seems)  by  Garibaldi.  S[win- 
burne]  speaks  of  M[azzini]'s  immense  magnetic  power, 
which  he  feels  operating  upon  him,  S[winburne],  apart  from 
the  enthusiasm  which  he  entertains  for  his  character. 
M[azzini]  goes  frequently  to  Rome  still — something  like 
once  a  year :  he  spoke  with  great  regard  of  my  Father,  on 
S[winburne]'s  mentioning  him.  He  lives  in  Fulham  Road 
in  a  very  modest  way — having,  S[winburne]  says,  absolutely 
no  definite  income  of  any  kind.  .  .  .  Mazzini  urges  him 
much  to  write  poems  with  a  directly  democratic  or  humani- 
tarian aim  :  which  S[winburne]  finds  it  difficult  to  shirk,  at 
the  same  time  that  he  feels  conscious  that  is  not  exactly  his 
line,  and  would  not  promote  his  true  poetic  development. 
He  says  M[azzini]  takes  great  interest  in  poetry  :  some,  he 
believes,  in  music :  little  or  none,  as  far  as  he  sees,  in  paint- 
ing etc. 

Wednesday,  8  May. — Met  Webbf  and  others  at  Boyce's.| 
.  .  .  Howell  says  that,  according  to  Mrs  Jones,  Jones  is 
(very  needlessly)  so  down-hearted,  in  consequence  of  the 

This  was  a  short-lived  weekly  review,  on  a  plan  resembling  The 
Saturday  Review.  It  was  chiefly  an  organ  of  Roman  Catholics  of  liberal 
opinions. 

t  Philip  Webb,  architect,  a  member  of  the  Morris  Firm, 
:!:  George  P.  Boyce  the  water-colour  painter, 


232 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


attacks  and  criticisms  upon  his  pictures  this  year,  that  he 
says  it  is  just  a  toss-up  whether  or  not  he  shall  throw 
aside  the  brushes  for  ever.  .  .  . 

Saturday^  ii  May. — Met  Cave  Thomas,  who  appears  to 
consider  himself  somewhat  aggrieved  in  the  matter  of  the 
testimonial  which  is  being  got  up  to  Colonel  Richards  as 
originator  of  the  Volunteer  movement  Thomas  appears 
to  admit  the  claim  of  R[ichards]  as  having  called  a  meet- 
ing to  start  the  question  ;  but  says  that  himself  (Thomas) 
was  the  organizer  of  the  movement,  which  he  considers 
much  more  important.  .  .  . 

Monday,  13  May. — Dined  at  Howell's  with  Jones,  Boyce, 
and  several  others.  ...  A  Civil-List  pension  has  been 
granted  to  Cruikshank,  — in  addition  to  an  annual  ^50 
from  R.A.  Legros  dilated  on  the  derivation  from  England 
of  the  whole  romantic  school  of  France,  whether  in  litera- 
ture or  art — as  Delacroix,  Decamps,  etc.  His  interest  in 
art  of  this  sort  seems  to  grow  less  and  less  :  he  considers 
Poussin,  Watteau,  David,  and  Ingres,  the  four  lights  of  the 
French  School.    He  has  received  a  medal  at  the  Paris  Salon. 

Tuesday,  14  May. — Miller,  Windus,*  and  others,  dined 
at  Chelsea.  Miller  says  he  is  seventy-one  years  old :  he 
seems  to  me  to  have  altered  very  little  since  I  first  knew 
him  in  '57.  Windus  lives  in  a  village  near  Preston.  He 
says  that  he  promised  his  late  wife  that  he  would  never 
part  from  their  daughter,  which  prevents  his  entering  into 
any  arrangement  which  would  allow  of  his  pursuing  his 
profession  advantageously — as  in  London.  He  has  lost  all 
power  of  setting  to  work,  or  resolving  to  do  so :  yet,  when- 
ever he  does  attempt  anything,  he  finds  he  paints  better 
than  of  old  :  Miller  confirms  this.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  16  May. — Dined  at  Scott's  with  Alfl^red] 
Hunt  and  his  wife.  .  .  .  Hunt  expresses  a  bitter  feeling 
against  the  R.A.  in  general,  and  in  especial  Creswick,  who, 
it  seems,  is  regarded  amo|ig  landscape-painters  as  going 
about  saying  that  none  of  the  rising  men  in  that  line  is 

*  John  Miller  the  Liverpool  picture-collector ;  W.  L.  Windus,  the 
painter  of  Burd  Hcle?i  and  other  works  of  "  Praeraphaelite "  affinity. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867 


233 


good  enough  for  admission  into  the  Academy.  Hunt  is 
much  put  out  at  finding  himself  practically  confined  to 
water-colours :  his  oil-pictures  have  more  than  once  been 
rejected  at  the  Academy.  He  made  a  remark  which  is 
new  to  me,  but  may  have  some  considerable  element  of 
truth  in  it :  that  a  figure-painter  may  expect  to  be  in  his 
prime  by  the  end  of  some  ten  years'  practice,  but  a  land- 
scape-painter, according  to  the  modern  scheme  of  that  art, 
cannot  possibly  do  his  best  till  between  forty  and  fifty — 
the  number  of  entirely  different  objects  and  phenomena  to 
be  studied  and  experimentally  mastered  being  so  enor- 
mously great.  Cox,  next  to  Turner,  is  the  English  land- 
scape-painter he  admires.  He  himself  paints  wholly  from 
memory,  with  notes  taken  on  the  spot — not  from  full 
sketches  on  the  spot,  nor  yet  (now)  from  the  scene  itself. 
He  intimates  that  he  can  refigure  to  himself,  with  extreme 
precision  and  completeness,  the  scene  he  requires  to  paint, 
with  all  its  mental  and  accidental  associations.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  21  May. — Gabriel  has  been  taking-up  his  old 
design  of  Hector  and  Cassandra^  and  would  fain  set  to  work 
at  painting  it.  His  enthusiasm  for  blue  pots  has  gone  to  the 
extent  of  buying  from  Marks  two  most  sumptuous  hawthorn- 
pots  with  covers  (the  only  covered  ones  in  the  market,  he 
says) — price  £120.  For  this  he  is  to  paint  a  picture,  and 
will  cover  a  previous  account  by  making  it  worth  £200.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  22  May. — Dunn,  whom  I  met  the  other 
day  at  Howell's,  is  now  being  employed  by  Gabriel  on 
a  copy  of  his  Beatrice  in  a  Death-trance.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  23  May. — Met  Swinburne  and  others  at 
Brown's.  S[winburne]  considers  Matthew  Arnold  more 
satisfactory  as  a  poetic  writer  than  either  Browning  or 
Tennyson.  Morris's  poem  of  Jason  is  just  out,  and 
S[winburne]  purposes  reviewing  it  in  the  Fortnightly.  .  .  . 
Jones  is  occupied  on  finishing  the  pictures  he  has  had 
in  hand  this  goodish  while  for  Birket  Foster.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  29  May. — Gabriel  has  begun  a  portrait  of 
Mrs  Leyland.  Miller,  Whistler,  and  other  friends,  at 
Chelsea.    Much  discussion  about  Turner — W[histler]  being 


234 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


against  him  as  not  meeting  either  the  simply  natural  or 
the  decorative  requirements  of  landscape-art,  which  he 
regards  as  the  only  alternative.  ... 

Monday,  3  Jime. — Hotten  tells  me  that  he  has  under- 
taken to  bring  out  a  photographic  copy  of  Blake's  Jerusalem^ 
and  I  think  some  of  the  other  books — the  edition  to  be 
limited  to  100  copies.  He  is  looking  after  a  cast  of  Blake 
from  life  (or  death)  in  the  possession  of  Richmond,  with 
a  view  to  engraving  it  in  Swinburne's  book. 

Tuesday,  4  June. — Nolly  Brown  and  his  Father  brought 
round  to  Chelsea  the  water-colour  by  the  former  of  Queen 
Margaret  and  the  Robber,  which  is  certainly  a  singular 
achievement  for  a  boy  of  thirteen  or  twelve.*  .  .  . 

Wedfiesday,  5  June. — Ordered  of  Marks  framing  for 
various  Japanese  coloured  prints  which  I  purpose  hanging 
in  a  continuous  band  round  the  new  sitting-room — also 
some  further  prints  of  same  class.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  11  June. — My  Fine  Art-f  reached  me  com- 
pleted. .  .  .  Roberts  Brothers  propose  to  publish  the  few 
prose  tales  etc.  written  by  Christina.^  .  .  . 

Thursday,  13  June. — Met  Palgrave.  .  .  .  He  suggests,  as 
a  subject  for  me  to  take  up,  a  collection  of  the  memorable 
observations  on  art  made  by  English  artists :  and  I  am 
not  indisposed  to  see  to  this  in  course  of  time.§  Gabriel 
occupied  on  a  water-colour  of  a  girl  leaning  on  her  arms 
out  of  window.  II  Whistler,  with  whom  we  dined,  has  been 
written  to  by  the  Burlington  Club  that,  if  he  does  not 
resign  on  account  of  the  Haden  row,1'  they  would  have 

He  was  in  fact,  at  this  date,  only  a  little  turned  of  twelve — having 
been  born  in  January  1855. 

t  I.e.,  the  book  (old  articles  re-printed)  called  Fi7ie  Art,  chiefly 
Co?itemporary . 
.  .  X  This  was  not  done. 

§  I  did  make  a  compilation  of  this  kind.  It  has  not  yet  been  pub- 
lished, but  possibly  may  be. 

II  Must  be  the  water-colour  entitled  The  Rose. 

IT  I  need  not  enter  into  the  details  of  this  matter,  a  difference  between 
Mr  Whistler  and  his  Brother-in-law  Sir  Seymour  Haden.  A  few 
particulars,  affecting  myself  chiefly,  appear  in  the  sequel. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867 


235 


to  consider  of  his  expulsion  :  if  he  resigns,  his  money  would 
be  returned.  Gabriel  and  I  agree  in  considering  this  very 
improper,  as  it  amounts  to  condemning  one  member,  un- 
heard, on  the  ipse  dixit  of  another.  .  .  .  Gabriel  prepared 
a  letter  to  Wornum*  expressing  this  view :  and  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  to  resign  if  W[histler]  is  expelled.  .  .  . 
Mrs  W[histler]  f  is  shortly  about  to  return  for  a  while  to 
America,  partly  out  of  sympathy  to  many  of  her  friends, 
now  reduced  from  affluence  to  penury,  j  W[illiam] 
W[histler],§  who  saw  much  of  the  Southern  prisons,  denies 
that  the  Northern  prisoners  were  ill-treated  there,  though 
straitened  (as  were  the  Southerners  themselves)  in  some 
cases :  he  has  no  knowledge  however  of  Andersonville.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  15  June. — Meeting  Wornum,  I  talked-over  the 
Whistler  affair  with  him.  It  seems  that  Haden  said  it  would 
be  impossible  for  him  to  remain  in  the  Club  if  W[histler] 
did  so.  .  .  .  The  Committee  .  .  .  thought  they  might  them- 
selves not  be  safe  with  W[histler],  and  they  therefore 
suggested  to  him  to  resign.  I  pointed  out  to  Wornum 
that  it  was  not  fair  to  ask  him  to  resign  without  first 
asking  him  to  explain ;  also  assured  him  that  there  was 
no  practical  ground  for  alarm  on  the  part  of  the  Committee, 
or  even  of  Haden  while  within  the  Club.  Wornum  informed 
me  that,  after  their  first  letter  and  Whistler's  reply  thereto, 
the  Committee  have  now  invited  an  explanation  from 
him  ;  and,  after  a  good  deal  of  talk,  I  got  him  to  admit 
that  the  right  time  for  doing  this  would  have  been  before 
asking  him  to  resign.  I  told  Wornum  that,  if  Whistler 
is  expelled,  I  shall  resign  ;  but  shall  not  do  anything  in 
the  way  of  agitation  or  caballing  meanwhile.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  16  June. — Sent  to  The  Atlantic  Monthly  the 
first  two  papers  of  Stillman's  Cretan  Days.  Told  Thornton 
Hunt  that  S[tillman]  ceases  to  write  for  the  Telegraph.  .  .  . 

Mr  Ralph  N.  Wornum,  Secretary  to  the  National  Gallery,  was  then 
Secretary  of  the  Burlington  Club, 
t  The  Painter's  Mother. 

\  I.e.,  impoverished  through  the  American  Civil  War, 
§  A  Surgeon,  Brother  of  the  Painter, 


236 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Friday  to  Tuesday^  21  to  2^  June. — Moving  into  56  Euston 
Square.  .  .  . 

Friday,  5  July. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  very  nearly  finished  his 
half-figure  of  Mi's  Leyland,  and  has  written  three  lines  of 
Italian  verse  for  it,*  on  the  Poliziano  model  of  style.  Morris 
has  sold  some  250  copies  of  his  Jason — the  last  100  of  them 
somewhat  rapidly. 

Thursday,  ii  July. — Got  my  pictures  in  the  drawing- 
room  hung,  and  the  bulk  of  the  Japanese  prints  for  the 
dining-room.  Howell  (who  dined  here  with  his  cousin  f)  and 
Gabriel  much  pleased  with  the  effect.  Showed  H[owell]  the 
photograph  sent  me  by  Kirkup  from  the  drawing  whereon 
(as  he  believes)  Dante  drew  the  shape  of  his  cranium,  and 
wrote  his  name.  H[owell]  agrees  with  me  in  thinking  the 
name  very  suspicious  ;  he  says  that  the  flourishy  lines  scored 
underneath  it  are  rarely  if  ever  found  in  mediaeval  or  other 
than  quite  modern  autographs. 

Friday,  12  July. — Dodgson  (the  Oxford  man  and  photo- 
grapher) writes  to  Christina  to  say  that  a  friend  of  his, 
Rivington,  would  much  like  to  illustrate  either  of  Christina's 
volumes,  and  would  do  it  at  little  cost.  D[odgson]  sends  a 
design  by  R[ivington]  from  Passing  Away  ;\  which,  though 
not  advanced  in  execution,  is  finely  felt,  and  a  good  deal  like 
what  C[hristina]  herself  might  do  if  she  knew  enough  to 
draw.  .  .  . 

Sttnday,  14  July. — Left  London  in  the  morning,  and  got 
out  at  Rugby  for  a  day  with  Tupper ;  who  seems  fairly  well 
and  comfortable,  but  perhaps  not  receiving  a  very  cordial 
recognition  from  the  School  and  other  authorities.  .  .  . 
Tupper's  class  has  hitherto  been  two  hours  in  the  week  ; 
but,   with    many   natural   sciences  now   studied,   it  has 

*  The  lines  are  certainly  these  :  when  I  was  compihng  the  Collected 
Works  of  Dante  Rossetti  (1886),  I  had  not  identified  the  subject 
of  them  : — 

"  Con  manto  d'oro,  collana,  ed  anelli, 
Le  piace  aver  con  queUi 
Non  altro  che  una  rosa  ai  suoi  capelli." 
t  Miss  Kate  Howell,  afterwards  his  wife. 
t  The  design  remains  in  my  possession, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867  237 


dwindled  to  one  hour,  and  T[upper]  thinks  it  will  continue 
on  the  wane. 

Monday,  15  Jnly. — .  .  .  Left  at  noon. 

Tuesday,  16  July. — Came  on  to  Penkill.  .  .  .  Penkill  is  a 
delightful  habitation,  though  dark  on  a  day  like  this,  and 
the  grounds  immediately  about  are  exquisite  as  far  as  I 
can  yet  judge  them.  Scott's  pictures  on  the  staircase  *  have 
a  very  good  effect,  decidedly  superior  even  to  what  the 
cartoons  indicate ;  they  are  both  lightsome  in  effect,  almost 
gay,  and  in  invention  solid  and  thoughtful.  The  part 
chiefly  (or  perhaps  alone)  attacked  by  damp  is  in  the  picture 
of  the  King's  first  sight  of  the  lady.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  18  July, —  ...  In  coming  home  went  about 
the  grounds  of  the  house  named  The  Warden.  The  family 
have  moved  into  a  modern  house  here,  and  left  the  old 
house  to  become  a  ruin,  and  a  very  good  one  it  is.  I 
suppose  parts  must  be  as  old  as  1500  or  older.  Picked-up  a 
mole  in  coming  along — the  only  one  1  ever  saw  walking 
about  above  ground  ;  he  was  going  along  at  a  good  trundling 
pace.  Began  writing  on  Longjellow's  Dante  for  The  Chronicle : 
also  made  acquaintance  with  the  scriptural  dramas  of  Zachary 
Boyd,  c.  1620,  one  of  the  Boyd  family,  going  through  the 
drama  of  Jonah.  They  are  most  racy  specimens  of  the 
period,  and  have  an  ample  share  of  solid  merit.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  20  July. —  .  .  .  Went  down  with  Miss  B[oyd] 
to  where  she  is  painting  in  the  glen,  and  afterwards  with 
S[cott]  to  the  further  end  of  the  glen — in  the  direction  of 
Dailly  :  it  is  full  of  beautiful  glimpses.  Miss  B[oyd]  proposed 
that  I  should  sit  to  S[cott]  for  a  head  in  his  Palace  oj  Venus, 
which  head  he  had  originally  begun  with  some  idea  of 
resembling  it  to  me,  but  afterwards  finished  it  up  with  little 
or  no  such  resemblance.  I  sat  accordingly,  and  he  repainted 
the  head ;  which  is  now,  I  think,  quite  recognizably  like 
me.  ... 

Monday,  22  July. — The  rains  of  yesterday  and  to-day, 
sometimes  drenching,  have  swollen  the  waters  of  the  glen 
to  a  great  extent :  Scott  says  they  make  more  show  and 

*  Illustrating  the  poem  by  James  I.  of  Scotland,  The  King's  Quair, 


238 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


noise  than  he  ever  remembers,  and  their  impetuous  rush 
is  really  a  noble  sight.  .  .  . 

Monday^  29  July. — We  accomplish  this  day  the  drive 
and  walk  to  old  Kilkerran  Castle,  which  is  a  noticeable 
ruin  hard  by  a  picturesque  stream.  Amused  ourselves  some 
while  by  throwing  branches  of  trees  etc.  into  the  stream, 
and  seeing  whether  they  would  be  carried  into  and  out 
of  the  cup-like  depth  of  flowing  water  called  the  Devil's 
Punch-bowl.    Continues  fine  weather. 

Tuesday,  30  Jidy, — My  last  day  at  Penkill.  .  .  . 

Friday,  2  August. — Started  to  Paris.  .  .  . 

Monday,  5  August. —  ...  In  the  evening  to  the  Frangais 
to  see  Hernani — a  great  crowd  at  the  queue,  and  the  house 
cram-full.  Much  applause,  especially  at  some  jietrissure  of 
the  aigle  imperial.  Favart  is  very  fine  in  the  last  scene,  and 
Delaunay  as  Hernani  seems  to  me  on  the  whole  successful 
— Bressant  as  Charles  V.,  reasonably  so — Mauban  as  Ruy 
Gomez,  somewhat  heavy.  The  great  effectiveness  of  the 
play  does  certainly  not  relieve  one  of  the  sense  of  its  arti- 
ficiality and  want  of  real  nature,  but  it  is  excellently 
effective.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  7  August. — Found  Courbet's  exhibition  at 
the  top  of  the  Pont  de  I'Alma  :  the  great  Hallali  au  Cerf'x?, 
dated  this  year.  There  is  a  book  at  the  entrance  for  sig- 
natures and  opinions  of  visitors:  I  left  (perhaps  better 
not  have  done  so)  the  following  with  my  name :  "  Gustave 
Courbet  c'est  un  veritable  maitre  qui  se  joue  parfois  trop 
de  ses  admirateurs  en  peignant  en  ecolier."  Settled  to  buy 
photographs  (6  francs  apiece)  of  the  Fennne  au  Perroquet 
(I  think  the  drapery  has  been  darkened  since  last  year,  and 
deteriorated)  and  the  Fawns  by  a  Stream.  Visitors  seem 
very  few.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  10  August. — Bought  some  Japanese  books  and  a 
ditto  bear  from  Madame  Dessoye.   Returned  to  London.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  15  August. — .  .  .  .  Howell  .  .  .  says  that  there 
appears  a  considerable  prospect  of  Ruskin's  marrying  again 
shortly :  he  could  not  mention  the  lady's  surname,  but  her 
christian  name  is  Rose.  .  .  . 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTi—DlARY,  1867 


239 


Tuesday,  27  August. —  .  .  .  Brown  came  in,  and  much 
discussion  ensued  as  to  modern  social  art  (as  Stevens  and 
Tissot),  and  the  prospects  of  EngHsh  encouragement  to  art 
under  a  reformed  Parliament :  of  this  Brown  has  consider- 
able hopes,  but  not  Gabriel.  I  incline  to  say  there  will 
be  a  definite,  though  not  perhaps  very  great,  improve- 
ment. ... 

Friday,  30  August. — Visited  the  Portrait- Exhibition  at 
South  Kensington,  now  about  closing.  Struck  generally 
by  the  poorness  of  personality  in  the  sitters  from  Hogarth 
onwards,  contrasting  with  those  of  William  III.  and  Anne, 
and  not  specially  impressed  with  the  vitality  even  of  the 
art.  There  are  several  admirably  pure  and  vital  Gains- 
boroughs,  however  —  most  specially  Lady  Ligonier,  the 
mistress  of  Alfieri,  a  full-length  :  but  in  most  of  his  bust- 
portraits  there  is  next  to  no  form — only  a  face  and  a 
charming  suavity  of  hand.  Reynolds's  Mrs  Abington  in 
some  hoydenish  stage-part  is  wonderful,  with  some  others. 
Generally,  however,  my  estimate  of  him  is  not  reinforced 
by  this  exhibition.  Some  of  his  more  elaborately  costumed 
royal  or  noble  personages  are  very  well  treated  in  this 
respect.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  31  August. — Gabriel  tells  me  that  .  .  .  Brown 
has  received  from  Leyland  an  order  for  his  smaller  Chaucer 
picture  for  ^^525.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  5  September. — Dined  at  Scott's,  meeting  Dr 
Littledale  *  for  the  first  time :  he  seems  as  far  removed 
as  possible  from  an  ascetic,  being  far  the  most  jocular 
man  at  table :  says  that  Whitley  Stokes,  in  India,  now 
makes  an  income  of  some  ;^2300.  L[ittledale]  is  one  of 
the  extremest  Irishmen  in  point  of  brogue  that  I  ever 
met.  .  .  . 

Friday,  6  September. —  .  .  .  Hotten  proposes  to  me  that 
I  should  edit  a  selection  of  Whitman's  poems,  to  be  published 
by  him,  first  naming  the  price  I  should  require :  this  I  will 
very  gladly  attend  to.  My  principle  of  selection  would  be 
to  miss  out  entirely  any  poem,  though  otherwise  fine  and 
*  A  Clergyman  of  the  advanced  High-Church  Party. 


240 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


unobjectionable,  which  contains  any  of  his  extreme  crudities 
of  expression  in  the  way  of  indecency :  I  would  not  expur- 
gate any  such  poems,  but  simply  exclude  them.  H[otten] 
says  that  Swinburne's  Song  of  Italy  has  been  the  reverse  of  a 
commercial  success.  .  .  . 

Monday,  g  September. —  .  .  .  Wrote  to  Hotten  proposing 
to  do  the  Whitman  Selection  for  £2^,  and  twelve  copies  of 
the  book.  Conway  sends  me  a  letter  from  Burroughs  relative 
to  my  Whitman  article  in  The  Chronicle.  .  .  . 

Friday,  13  September. — Hotten  (after  first  saying  the 
utmost  he  could  afford  is  ^20)  agrees  to  my  terms  about 
Whitman.  .  .  . 

Monday,  16  September. — Called  at  Cay  ley's  invitation  to 
see  him  and  the  Leifchilds  in  Hunter  Street.  F.  Leifchild, 
.  .  .  the  last  time  he  was  in  Italy,  spent  some  time  at  Lerici, 
close  to  the  villa,  or  balconied  castle,  wherein  Shelley  had 
resided :  he  found  an  old  man  there  who  recollected  Shelley 
and  his  ways.  S[helley]  used  to  go  about  wherever  there 
was  sickness  in  a  house,  nursing  and  advising.  The  place  is 
gloriously  beautiful.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  21  September. — Gabriel  back  last  night  from  his 
visit  to  Allingham,  and  called  in  Euston  Square :  he  thinks 
of  going  down  again  by  the  end  of  next  week.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  22  September. — Began  writing  my  introduction 
to  Whitman.  Conway  called,  and  showed  me  the  large 
photograph  of  W[hitman]  lately  sent  over,  with  his  auto- 
graph. He  denies  that  Emerson  has  ever  turned  against 
W[hitman],  but  on  the  contrary  admires  him  quite  as  much 
as  he  ever  expressed  in  writing :  he  also  got  Lincoln  to 
approve  W[hitman]'s  going  to  the  camp-hospitals,  with  no 
remuneration  (W[hitman]  stipulated  there  should  be  none) 
but  with  the  ordinary  camp-rations.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  29  September. — Howell,  now  back  from  his 
wedding-trip,  dined  at  Chelsea  with  others.  .  .  .  Linton  back 
from  America,  and  about  to  return  thither ;  collecting 
materials  for  his  History  of  Wood-Engraving,  and  looked 
with  this  intention  at  various  Japanese  woodcuts,  which  he 
highly  admires.    Scott,  whom  I  told  that  I  would  dedicate  to 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867 


241 


him  my  Selection  from  Whitman.  Gabriel  complains  much 
of  his  eyes,  and  fears  the  evil  is  organic,  not  merely  a  symptom 
of  dyspepsia  or  the  like.  He  says  that  sunlight  or  artificial 
light  becomes  increasingly  painful  to  him,  producing  giddi- 
ness etc, ;  and  that,  from  one  day  a  few  weeks  back  onwards 
when  he  became  distinctly  conscious  of  something  wrong 
with  the  sight,  it  has  gone  on  continuing  and  getting  worse 
in  the  same  way.  Most  of  us  thought  the  thing  might  be 
merely  symptomatic,  but  all  agreed  in  advising  him  to  see 
an  oculist  without  delay.  Linton  says  that  a  revolution  in 
Rome  is  all  prepared,  and  only  waiting  some  needful  funds. 

Monday^  30  September. — Elihu  Burritt  *  called  on  Christina, 
and  produced  a  very  agreeable  impression  :  I  alone  did  not 
see  him.    Finished  my  writing-work  on  Whitman.  .  .  , 

Thursday^  3  October. — Gabriel  came  to  Euston  Square. 
His  eyes  are  still  in  a  state  to  cause  anxiety,  and  he  now 
finds  that  even  the  gas-lamps  in  the  streets  affect  him  dis- 
tressingly. Much  serious  talk  connected  with  this  matter.  .  .  . 
He  is  wanting  to  consult  Bowman  the  oculist  at  once,  but 
finds  him  just  now  out  of  town.  G[abriel]  says  that  he  has 
already  made  ;^2000  this  year.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  6  October. — Holman-Hunt  called,  being  lately 
back  from  Florence.  He  looks  thin  and  fagged.  .  .  .  The 
picture  he  has  been  doing  in  Florence  is  an  Isabella  with 
the  Pot  of  Basil ;  the  costume  etc.  being  made  later  than 
Boccaccio's  time.  It  is  a  life-size  work,  and  substantially 
finished.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  8  October. — Gabriel  has  now  seen  Bowman.  I 
don't  learn  that  B[owman]  gives  a  very  definite  opinion  as 
to  the  nature  of  the  case,  but  he  recommends  G[abriel]  to 
give-up  work  for  a  month  or  so. 

Wednesday^  9  October. — Hunt  and  Woolner  dined  at 
Euston  Square.  H[unt]  proposes  to  go  off  to  Jerusalem 
towards  Christmas.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  19  October. — By  pursuing  Bowman's  directions 

*  I  am  not  quite  sure  whether  the  name  of  Elihu  Burritt  is  now  much 
remembered  in  England.  He  was  an  American,  a  man  of  some  mark, 
often  called  "  the  literary  blacksmith." 

Q 


242 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


to  bathe  his  eyes  with  cold  water,  Gabriel  has  got  them 
fairly  right  again  these  few  days  past  :  to-day  not  quite  so 
right.  He  has  now  finished  his  water-colour  of  Tristram  and 
Yseult  drinking  the  love-potion.  .  .  . 

Monday,  21  October. — Began  reading  {Leslie's  Autobio- 
graphy) with  an  experimental  view  towards  a  suggestion 
made  to  me  a  little  while  ago  by  Palgrave — to  form  a  volume  of 
axioms  concerning  art,  the  practice  of  artists,  etc.,  written  by 
British  artists.  After  getting  some  small  sample  of  the  material 
together,  I  think  of  offering  the  volume  to  Macmillan,  or 
possibly  Hotten  :  I  should  omit  all  artists  who  appear  to  me 
bad  or  indifferent  in  art — such  as  O'Neil.  The  Editor  of 
The  Broadway  writes  to  me  a  second  time  (I  declined  the 
first)  asking  me  to  contribute.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  2  November — .  .  .  .  Called  on  Swinburne,  who 
has  planned  out  the  two  concluding  dramas  for  a  Mary  Stuart 
trilogy,  and  begun  the  first,  with  Bothwell  for  central  figure : 
also  a  long  narrative  poem  of  Tristram  and  Yseult,  and  various 
political  poems.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  5  November. — Houghton  called  at  Somerset 
House.  He  says  that  he  draws  his  wood-cut  designs  straight 
off  on  the  block,  taking  as  a  rule  only  some  two  to  three 
hours  per  design  :  he  sees  nothing  incredible  in  the  state- 
ment that  Dore  had  done  some  40,000  designs  by  the  age  of 
twenty-nine.  .  .  .  Gabriel,  last  Sunday,  in  stirring  up  one  of 
the  Virginian  owls  out  of  his  box,  had  the  misfortune  of 
pulling  one  of  his  claws  out :  he  bled  much,  but  did  not 
appear  in  any  great  rage,  nor  has  as  yet  shown  particular 
suffering  or  distress.  Gabriel  asked  Jamrach  what  he  could 
get  a  young  African  elephant  (!)  for — answer  ^^"400.  This 
is  not  exactly  feasible ;  but  a  Laughing  Jackass  is  being 
bespoken,  and  enquiries  made  after  a  marmot  and  one  or 
two  other  beasts.  .  .  . 

Friday,  8  November,  to  Sunday,  10  November. — Saw 
Woolner's  fine  bas-relief  of  Virgilia,  medallions  from  The 
Iliad  for  Gladstone's  bust  etc.  The  Laughing  Jackass  has 
come  (according  to  a  letter  from  Gabriel)  to  a  sudden  and 
melancholy  end — drowned  in  a  tub  of  water.  .  .  . 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1867  243 


Tuesday,  12  November. — Sent  to  Routledge  my  blank- 
verse  of  the  Coroner's  Inquest,*  of  which  he  wishes  to  know 
the  length. 

Wednesday^  13  November. — Routledge  accepts  this  poem, 
and  proposes  to  get  it  illustrated,  suggesting  Gabriel  for 
that  purpose.  .  .  . 

Friday,  1 5  Novejuber. — Gabriel  is  not  prepared  to  under- 
take the  design  for  my  blank-verse,  which  I  have  now  decided 
to  call  Mrs  Holmes  Grey :  he  made  a  sketch  however  of  the 
death-scene.f  Leyland  got  us  to  dine  with  him  and  a  Mr 
Harlan  at  the  Wellington.  They  both  told  us,  as  coming 
from  a  Captain  Coppin  of  Londonderry,  and  also  related  by 
a  city-man  Mr  Allan,  three  or  four  extraordinary  super- 
natural events  with  which  Captain  C[oppin]  has  been  con- 
nected. One  is  that  the  spirit  of  one  of  his  deceased  children 
revealed  to  a  sister,  before  the  M'Clintock  expedition,  the 
exact  bearings  of  the  sea-passage  which  would  lead  to  a 
discovery  of  the  Franklin  remains ;  that  Coppin  wrote  this 
off  to  Lady  F[ranklin] ;  that  the  expedition  searched 
accordingly,  found  the  data  correct,  and  discovered  the 
relics  ;  and  that  Coppin  holds  a  letter  from  Lady  F[ranklin] 
fully  acknowledging  these  facts.  Harlan  seems  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  Coppin,  and  has  this  account  from  himself: 
he  has  not  however  seen  Lady  F[ranklin]'s  letter. 

Saturday,  16  November. — E.  Routledge  called  at  Somerset 
House,  and  I  agreed  to  write  for  The  Broadway  articles  on 
Ruskin  and  Browning.  We  agreed  upon  Houghton  to 
illustrate  the  coffin-scene  in  my  poem,  though  R[outledge] 
would  have  preferred  Watson.  Conway  sends  me  a  letter 
to  him  from  Whitman  concerning  my  Selection.  He 
authorizes  me  to  make  such  alterations  in  words  as  I  may 
consider  needful  for  decency.  This  would,  I  think,  enable 
Hotten  to  bring  out  at  once  a  modified  complete  edition, 
instead  of  a  mere  Selection.  Saw  the  Chinese  Horned  Owl 
at  Chelsea  in  the  morning. 

Sunday,  17  November. — Wrote  to  Hotten,  Conway,  and 

*  I.e.,  the  poem  named  Mrs  Hohnes  Grey,  written  in  1849. 
t  I  have  no  knowledge  now  of  this  sketch. 


244 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Whitman,  about  the  edition  or  selection  question  ;  advocat- 
ing the  edition  if  H[otten]  is  willing  to  go  in  for  it.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  19  November.— YioXX^n  decides  to  bring  out 
the  Whitman  Selection  as  at  first  planned,  but  with  a  clear 
intimation  of  a  projected  complete  edition.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  20  Novernbe7^. — Gabriel  says  that  he  will 
probably  have  made  ^^3000  this  year,  by  the  close  of  it. 
He  sold  the  other  day  chalk-drawings  (female  heads  etc.)  to 
the  value  of  ;^300,  ^^150  each  to  Leyland  and  to  Valpy  *  (for 
the  latter  the  drawings  remain  to  be  done).  He  has  been 
reducing  his  debts  considerably,  still  owing  about  £\ooo.  .  .  . 

Friday,  22  November. — Swinburne's  appeal  for  mercy  to 
the  Fenians  condemned  to  death  at  Manchester  appears  in 
to-day's  Morning  Star :  however,  it  has  not  availed.  .  .  . 

Monday,  25  November. — Gabriel  says  one  of  the  young 
dormice  has  been  devoured  by  the  others.  His  eyes  seem 
to  be  as  well  again  as  if  nothing  had  been  wrong  with  them. 

Tuesday,  26  November. — Another  young  dormouse  has 
met  the  same  fate.  Gabriel  has  been  making  some  chalk- 
studies  of  head  and  shoulders  (from  Miss  Wilding)  for  the 
Andromeda  picture.f  .  .  . 

Thursday,  28  November. — Routledge  showed  me  the 
wood-block  with  Houghton's  design  for  Mrs  H\olmes'\  Grey : 
it  is  very  satisfactory.  Conway  sent  me  a  letter  he  has 
received  from  O'Connor,  author  of  TJie  Good  Grey  Poet.  He 
intimates  that  Whitman,  though  resigned,  is  not  really 
pleased  at  the  publication  of  a  mere  selection  from  his 
poems  ;  while  0'C[onnor]  himself  views  it  with  great  distaste, 
as  practically  a  concession  to  the  outcry  against  W[hitman]'s 
indecencies.  0'C[onnor]  has  written  another  letter  (not  yet 
in  Conway's  hands)  setting  forth  the  points  he  would  wish 
insisted  on  in  any  prefatory  work  of  mine.  I  replied  to  him 
in  cordial  terms,  but  to  the  effect  that  the  Preface  and  part 
of  the  Selection  are  now  in  print,  and  cannot  well  be  re- 
modelled. .  .  . 

*  As  to  Mr  Valpy  see  p.  267. 

■j*  The  picture  which  he  called  Aspecta  Medusa.  He  designed  it,  but 
never  painted  it. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIAHY,  1867  245 


Thursday^  12  December. — A  dinner  at  Whistler's  (his 
Brother,  Tebbs,  and  Jeckyll  *  with  myself),  and  grand  dis- 
cussion as  to  the  campaign  of  to-morrow,  when  the  motion 
for  his  expulsion  from  the  Burlington  is  to  come  off.  .  .  . 

Friday,  1 3  December. — Whistler's  expulsion  was  voted  by 
19  against  8.  .  .  .  W[histler]  spoke  some  home-truths.  .  .  . 
Tebbs  moved  .  .  .  my  written  proposal  to  take  no  action 
at  this  late  end  of  the  year.  Scott  seconded,  and  this  had  a 
good  chance  of  passing  if  Whistler  would  have  intimated 
that  he  would  not  renew  his  subscription  :  but  he  declined, 
and  then  the  main  vote  passed  against  him.  ...  I  handed 
in  my  resignation  to  Wornum.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  14  December. — At  Swinburne's  request,  met 
Routledge  (editor  of  The  Broadzvay)  at  S[winburne]'s  house. 
S[winburne]  offers  him  various  things,  and  handed  over  a 
short  Boccacciesque  tale,  Monna  Lisa :  it  will  occupy  about 
three  pages.  .  .  .  S[winburne]  has  received  from  Mazzini 
a  very  gratifying  message  regarding  his  poem  for  the 
Fenians  :  M[azzini]  has  of  late  been  too  unwell  to  write,  but 
he  is  now  resuming.    Is  staying  at  Lugano. 

Sunday,  15  December. — Revising  proofs  of  the  Whitman 
Selection,  now  approaching  its  close — and  writing  for  The 
Broadway  an  article  on  Ruskin.  .  .  . 

Monday,  16  December. — Received  a  most  friendly  and 
indeed  affectionate  letter  from  Whitman.  Writing  in  reply 
to  a  (now  superseded)  suggestion  that  the  London  book 
should  be  made  a  slightly  modified  complete  edition  instead 
of  a  Selection  without  alterations  or  omissions,  he  expresses 
a  strong  objection  to  the  plan  ;  but  readiness  to  put  up  with 
it  rather  than  traverse  any  arrangements  which  may  be 
actually  in  course  of  completion.  I  wrote  back  explaining 
that  the  plan  of  a  Selection  has  been  reverted  to.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  17  December. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  now  sent-in 
his  resignation  to  the  Burlington  Club.  .  .  . 

Thursday,    19   December. — Macmillan,   to  whom    I  had 
written  offering  the  Selection  I  am  making  from  the  criticisms 
of  Artists  on  Art,  declines  to  undertake  it,  on  the  ground  of 
*  Mr  Jeckyll  was  an  architect. 


246 


IlOSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  ill-success  of  my  Dante  and  Fine  Art.  He  sends  me  the 
accounts  for  these  two  books  to  30  June  last,  showing  about 
£60  for  me  to  pay  on  the  first,  and  about  £'j\  balance  against 
himself  on  the  second.  Mamma,  who  had  from  the  first  set 
aside  £^0  to  meet  expenses  on  the  Dante ^  offers  to  pay  also 
the  extra  £\q.  Received  the  last  proof  of  the  Whitman 
Selection,  and  added  a  brief  P.S.  to  relieve  him  from  all 
responsibility  in  connexion  with  it.  .  .  . 

Friday,  20  December. —  .  .  .  Scott,  Brown,  Jones,  Howell, 
and  others,  dined  at  Chelsea.  A  good  deal  of  talk  about 
Whistler;  about  Linton's  History  of  Wood  -  Engraving, 
which  Morris  and  Webb  would  have  stop  at  Bewick,  on 
the  theory  that  all  wood-cutting  since  then  has  been  wrong 
in  principle — etc.  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  got  two  more  Laughing 
Jackasses.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  29  December. — Hunt  called  at  Euston  Square, 
seeming  in  better  trim  and  spirits  than  before.  His  Isabella 
picture  is  very  nearly  but  not  yet  entirely  finished.  He 
contemplates  going  back  through  Italy,  and  on  to  Damascus 
perhaps,  rather  than  Jerusalem.  On  my  asking  him  which 
pictures  in  Italy  he  remembered  with  especial  pleasure, 
the  first  he  named  was  Titian's  Jerome  in  the  Brera.  .  .  . 


138. — Dora  Greenwell  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  term  "your  Criticism"  means  my  small  volume 
on  Swinburne.] 

W.  Evans,  Esq.,  Allestree  Hall,  Derby. 
16  January  1867. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — Have  I  your  leave  to  keep  your 
Criticism  a  little  longer?  It  is  indeed  a  beautiful  and 
wonderful  piece  of  writing,  and,  to  me,  unlocks  the  door  into 
a  new  realm.  I  mean  as  regards  art  generally, — all  that  bears 
particularly  upon  Swinburne  interests  me  less  closely.  ...  I 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1867 


247 


have  not  read  all  Swinburne's  poems — only  Atalanta,  the 
splendid  Hymn  to  Proserpine^  and  the  bits  one  comes  across 
in  reviews.  .  .  . 

What  strikes  me  (among  other  things)  as  entirely  new 
in  your  essay,  and  to  me  more  valuable  than  words  can 
express,  is  its  high  sense  of  the  value  of  art  as  art.  I 
have  been  long  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Schiller's  canon, 
"  that  a  direct  aim  is  fatal  to  a  work  of  imaginative  beauty." 
Still  I  think  I  have  always  been  used  to  look  upon  music, 
finish,  and  rhythm,  as  mere  aids  to  the  expression  of  thought 
and  feeling.  Now,  I  see  that  they  are  in  themselves  sources 
of  beauty  and  delight,  and  to  be  prized  accordingly.  .  .  . 
The  truth  seems  to  be  that  there  are  wonders  and  glories 
wrapped  up  in  the  common  aspects  of  nature  and  life, 
which  art  detects  and  sets  free. — How  true  is  what  you 
say  of  your  Sister's  art,  that  it  is  the  natural  necessary 
result  of  affinity,  giving  what  it  finds. 

When  I  am  at  home  and  settled,  I  want  to  write  to  you 
upon  the  Pagan  element,  which  seems  to  me  to  enter  inevit- 
ably into  all  high  and  free  literature  and  art.  Your  Sister  does 
not  agree  with  me  in  this — nor  Miss  Ingelow,  nor  anybody; 
which  makes  me  feel  sure  I  am  right.  Athanasius  against 
the  world !  Thanking  you  for  the  great  pleasure  of  your 
essay,  believe  me  yours  very  sincerely, 

Dora  Greenwell. 


139. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[These  surprising  statements  regarding  Dante  etc.  may 
be  best  left  without  comment.  Under  the  date  of  12  July 
occurs  the  phrase  "  50  days."  Kirkup  wrote  "  80,"  but  that 
is  clearly  a  mistake. — The  last  paragraph  of  the  extract 
refers  to  Lorenzino  de'  Medici — or  Lorenzaccio,  as  he  is 
called  in  Alfred  de  Musset's  drama — the  assassin  of  Duke 
Alexander  de'  Medici  in  the  sixteenth  century.] 


248 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


2  PONTE  VECCHIO  [FlORENCE]. 
19  January  1867. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Trelawny  says  Mazzini  is  the  greatest 
man  of  his  age  (I  suppose  after  Garibaldi),  and  both  infinitely 
above  any  Bonaparte,  or  any  other  successful  traitor  of 
modern  times, — as  much  as  a  Washington  is  above  a  Bute. 
Trelawny  is  an  ?//^ra-liberal,  and  has  never  studied  any 
religious  question  (having  no  evidence)  ;  but  has  the  greatest 
contempt  for  all  the  absurdities  that  go  by  that  name,  and 
all  the  atrocities.  .  .  .  Trelawny  is  not  only  my  best  friend 
but  the  best  I  ever  heard  of — "  quegli  cut  io  chiamo  priino  de^ 
miei  ainici."  *  His  incredulity  extends  to  my  spiritualism. 
.  .  .  I  avoided  all  theories  and  opinions,  and  stuck  closely 
to  facts  only.  That  has  been  my  rule  for  twelve  years  ;  I 
have  kept  a  journal  all  that  time,  now  in  its  seventh  volume  ; 
and  it  is  but  a  slight  one,  which  I  regret, — mere  notes, 
and  far  from  containing  everything.  But,  as  it  was  not 
written  for  the  world,  and  is  only  a  memorandum-book  for 
myself,  it  will  some  day  be  a  curiosity  if  it  is  preserved. 
Now  no  one  would  believe  it. 

You  ask  about  the  memorable  fact  of  Dante's  drawing 
and  writing.  It  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable — ecco.  I 
refer  to  my  journal, — 

"12  Oct\ober'\  1865.  —  This  evening  Bibi  (my  little 
daughter,  aged  12)  slept.  She  said  there  were  five  (there 
had  been  four  spirits  lately).  There  was  Dante.  He  looked 
young,  she  said,  about  twenty  or  twenty-two :  she  is  no 
judge  of  age.  He  is  handsomer  than  the  many  portraits 
of  him  in  my  room.  (When  he  first  appeared  to  Regina 
he  was  like  the  mask,  old — they  all  improve).  I  inquired 
about  his  dress : — no  capuccio^  but  something  green.  I  told 
her  she  was  mistaken.  It  must  be  red,  the  lining  of  the 
cap  turned  back,  making  a  red  stripe ;  that  Regina  said 
he  was  like  a  capo  rosso,  by  which  she  meant  a  goldfinch 
(this  was  on  the  29th  November  1854). 

"7  January  1866. — This  evening  Bibi,  and  Olimpia  her 

*  "  The  one  whom  I  call  first  among  my  friends  "  :  a  quotation  from 
Dante. 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1867 


249 


maid  (an  ex-Nun  and  a  somnambule),  said  that  it  was 
Dante  who  had  influenced  the  Minister,  Natoli,  to  recom- 
mend me  to  the  King ;  so  the  other  spirits  said." 

After  many  manifestations  not  connected  with  this 
subject,  on  the  15th  April  1866,  both  Bibi  and  Olimpia  saw 
Dante  in  their  sleep  with  the  four  usual  spirits.  He  is 
very  handsome,  and  younger  than  formerly ;  a  wreath  on 
his  head  (the  green  which  B[ibi]  had  seen  before);  his 
hair  black,  his  cap  under  his  arm.  He  said,  unasked,  that 
it  was  he  who  influenced  the  ministers  and  King  for  my 
knighthood  and  Barony.  He  promised  to  help  me  in 
getting  his  portrait  by  Giotto  restored  once  more.  He  will 
advise  me  what  to  do  next  Thursday  (he  did  not,  it  was 
forgot).  He  is  for  the  union  of  Italy,  and  the  expulsion 
of  the  Germans.  "  Did  you  help  your  son  Jacopo  to  find 
the  Cantos  of  the  Paradiso  missing  at  your  death  ? " — Si. — 
Is  anything  hidden  in  your  house  in  Piazza  San  Martino  ? 
— No. — Can  you  find  or  direct  us  to  any  piece  of  your 
hand-writing,  however  small  ? — Cerchero,  e  ti  diro  Giovedi.* 
— He  could  not.  On  the  i6th  April  Dante  renewed  a 
promise  which  he  had  made  to  become  visible  to  me. 
Nothing  came  of  it.    Now  then — 

On  the  28th  April  1866  I  asked  him  if  he  would  draw 
for  me  the  shape  of  his  head  and  hair  on  a  paper  on  which 
I  had  drawn  his  face,  younger  and  handsomer  than  his 
portraits.  He  refused  at  first,  but  at  last  consented.  We 
fixed  the  time,  but  he  did  nothing  and  put  it  off  After 
many  other  events  he  appeared  to  Bibi  with  the  usual 
four  others  on  the  19th  of  May.  It  was  in  her  sleep 
(magnetic).  I  had  drawn  him  younger  than  the  portrait 
by  Giotto ;  and,  as  that  was  the  most  difficult  part,  I 
asked  him  to  fix  a  time  when  he  would  draw  the  form  of 
the  head,  as  I  had  never  seen  any  portrait  without  his 
cap  :  and  he  did  not  refuse  to  add  the  hair,  and  the  wreath 
to  it,  as  he  appeared  to  Bibi.  She  is  likewise  a  writing 
medium ;  and  her  mother's  spirit  made  her  write  on  the 
2 1st  May,  "Dante  will  tell  us  to-morrow  when  he  will  draw 
^  I  will  see  to  it,  and  tell  you  on  Thursday. 


250 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  head."    On  the  22nd  he  promised  to  take  the  drawing 
to-morrow,  in  the  usual  way  that  other  things  have  often 
been  taken  and  returned  as  amulets. 
23  May. — It  was  taken  this  day. 

I  will  give  you  an  idea  of  my  precautions  against  tricks 
and  cheating. 

The  features  alone  were  drawn  by  me  on  a  piece  of 
drawing-paper  the  size  of  this  page.*  It  was  laid  on  a 
small  board,  and  placed  on  a  chair  with  a  pencil  by  its 
side,  in  the  middle  of  a  small  room  or  closet,  13  feet  by  3; 
with  a  window  at  the  end,  left  open  on  purpose.  The  only 
door  was  double-locked,  and  the  key  in  my  pocket.  The 
door  was  then  sealed,  with  slips  of  paper  and  the  seal-ring 
on  my  finger ;  and,  besides  which,  in  the  hinges  were  con- 
cealed small  twigs  of  fire-wood  as  small  as  a  needle, 
unknown  to  any  one,  which,  if  the  door  were  opened,  must 
fall  to  the  ground.  (These  are  my  usual  precautions  in 
fastening  the  door :  the  window  open).  I  found  the  door 
all  right  the  next  day  when  I  opened  it  and  went  in.  The 
board  was  there,  but  the  drawing  and  pencil  were  gone. 
The  window  is  60  feet  above  the  river.  I  had  asked 
Dante  some  days  before  to  add  to  this  favour  by  writing 
his  name  to  it.    I  did  not  explain  why. 

7  June. — Dante  had  fixed  on  yesterday  to  bring  back 
the  drawing  finished,  but  he  never  did.  He  now  promises 
it  to-morrow  to  Olimpia  in  her  sleep. — The  8th.  He  has 
not  brought  it  back.  .  .  .  Our  spirit-party  had  lately  been 
increased  by  the  Spirit  of  Marietta,  Olimpia's  younger 
sister,  a  spirit  of  high  order.  Four  of  our  spirits  now  left 
us,  and  went  to  the  army — Isaac,  Giovanni,  Count  Ginnasi, 
and  Dante :  Regina  and  Marietta  alone  remained.  They 
came  back  several  times  to  give  us  news  of  the  war  before 
it  was  known  in  Florence.  Dante  was  with  Garibaldi,  and 
saved  his  life  by  turning  -  aside  a  ball  that  would  have 
killed  him.  So  he  said.  Many  curious  details  are  in  my 
journal.  On  the  4th  of  July  Dante  would  have  brought 
back  the  portrait ;  but  did  not,  because  I  was  not  aware 
^  The  page  measures  about  8  inches  by  5. 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1867 


251 


of  it,  and  had  not  secured  the  door  of  the  room  in  my 
usual  way  as  a  security  against  tricks.  It  was  again 
promised  on  the  nth,  but  never  came:  and  it  was  again 
promised  for  the  next  day.  Marietta  made  yesterday  a 
sort  of  excuse  for  his  not  drawing  so  well  as  he  could 
when  he  was  in  this  life,  and  that  he  found  it  difficult  to 
manage  the  pencil.    We  shall  see. 

12  July. — Sure  enough  it  was  brought  back. 

The  door  had  been  securely  closed  as  usual — lock,  seals, 
and  twigs.  Noon  was  the  hour  appointed.  I  had  looked  in 
at  half-past  eleven.  There  was  the  board  on  the  chair  empty. 
I  sat  down  to  write  close  to  the  door,  and  there  was  no  one 
else  in  the  house  at  that  time.  It  is  fifty  days  since  it  was 
taken,  the  23rd  May. 

The  paper  has  got  rumpled  and  creased  a  little,  and  the 
drawing  rubbed.  The  outline  of  the  head  is  quite  distinct, 
but  fainter  than  [the]  rest,  and  so  is  the  wreath — not  laurel, 
but  more  like  rose-leaves.  The  name  is  written  large  and 
strong — a  sort  of  Gothic — I  think  about  the  fifteenth  century  ; 
and  it  agrees  admirably  with  Leonardo  Aretino's  description 
of  his  hand-writing  in  his  Life  of  Dante,  of  which  I  have  a 
MS.  of  the  date  1455.  The  letters  long  and  upright,  Dante 
A//ighieri,  with  two  Ts.  The  pencil  was  returned  and  placed 
by  the  side  of  the  drawing,  which  I  have  put  in  a  frame  under 
a  glass,  and  is  hanging  in  this  room.  I  will  try  if  it  is 
sufficiently  strong  to  be  photographed.  Would  you  like 
one?  .  .  .  This  drawing  is  real,  and  has  been  seen  by  a 
hundred  persons ;  like  Home's  name  which  he  wrote  on  a 
ceiling  in  the  presence  of  many,  and  remains  there  still. 

Have  you  heard  the  story  of  his  fortune  ?  The  news- 
papers have  made  a  silly  romance  of  it,  full  of  lies,  even  the 
Florence  papers.  I  have  it  from  him.  We  are  old  friends, 
and  I  have  seen  much  more  extraordinary  things  in  his 
presence,  though  not  so  important  as  fortunes  or  titles,  but  as 
physical  phenomena :  the  frequent  risings  of  my  humble 
supper-table,  that  is  frequently  off  the  ground  untouched,  and 
rises  to  be  kissed  by  each  person  present,  as  many  times  as 
there  are  spirits,  at  the  name  of  each,  and  which  beats  time 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


when  Bibi  sings,  changing  tunes  and  measures  and  tattoos  as 
correctly  as  a  Capo-banda,  and  answering  all  our  questions 
by  raps  with  its  feet  on  the  floor ;  3  for  yes,  i  for  no,  and  2 
for  uncertain.  .  .  . 

I  have  the  great  medal  of  Lorenzino,  and  two  or  three 
others.  It  is  taken  from  the  bust  (in  the  gallery)  of  Brutus 
by  Michelangelo,  and  is  very  like  it.  Lorenzino  was  short, 
but  stout  and  very  strong.  .  .  . — Yours  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


140.— Stauros  Dilberoglue  to  William  Rossettl 

[Mr  Dilberoglue  was  a  Greek  merchant  long  settled  in 
London  :  he  had  been  known  to  me  for  two  or  three  years  in 
connexion  with  some  other  Greek  families,  especially  the 
Spartalis.  My  "  friend's  letter,"  to  which  he  here  refers,  was 
a  letter  from  Mr  Stillman  regarding  Cretan  affairs.] 

13  Barnsbury  Park,  Islington. 
28  January  1867. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — .  .  .  The  extract  of  your  friend's 
letter  is  most  valuable.  Could  you  give  me  date  of  letter 
and  name  ?  provided  you  do  not  wish  the  name  to  be  kept 
unpublished. 

Our  committee  has  had  so  much  to  contend  with,  in  order 
that  all  adverse  influences  exercised  against  it  might  be 
counteracted,  that  it  has  restricted  the  area  of  his  operations 
only  within  Greece  ;  so  it  cannot  use  any  modicum  even  of 
its  means  for  the  purpose  you  name.  .  .  . 

The  issue  of  the  struggle  is  inevitable  ;  and  still  there  is 
not  one  statesman  in  Europe  yet  who  can  take  the  initiative, 
and  appear  the  creator  of  all  that  is  to  follow ;  as  in  crystal- 
lization, as  soon  as  the  right  shock  is  given  to  the  masses  of 
facts  in  the  very  act  of  crystallization  now.  Do  help  us  in  all 
you  can.  ...  I  shall  read  your  letter  to  the  committee ;  and 


SIR  FREDERICK  BURTON,  1867 


253 


all  I  learn,  worth  knowing,  I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  trans- 
mitting to  you.  .  .  . — Yours  in  esteem  and  appreciation, 

Stauros  Dilberoglue. 


141— Sir  Frederick  Burton  to  Madox  Brown. 

[It  is  apparent  from  this  letter  that  Brown  had  some  wish 
to  become  a  member  of  the  Society  (the  "  Old  Society ")  of 
Painters  in  Water-colours ;  he  was  not,  I  fancy,  willing  to 
pass  through  the  subordinate  grade  of  Associate.  But  I 
believe  his  candidateship  was  never  brought  to  any  practical 
issue.  I  do  not  observe  that  the  matter  is  mentioned  in  Mr 
Ford  Hueffer's  book  concerning  Brown.] 

43  Argyll  Road,  Kensington. 
I  March  1867. 

My  dear  Brown, — Thanks  for  your  kind  note.  ...  I  very 
much  wish  indeed  that  you  might  be  enrolled  amongst  the 
members  of  the  S[ociety  of]  P[ainters  in]  W[ater-colours],  and 
that  we  might  see  your  works  upon  the  walls.  And  you  may 
be  sure  that  I  shall  not  only  be  ready  but  anxious  to  further 
any  wish  you  may  have  in  that  direction  yourself 

At  the  last  meeting,  being  deprived  by  Holland's  absence 
of  even  his  support,  and  not  knowing  otherwise  how  the  wind 
might  lie,  I  thought  it  more  prudent  to  be  silent  on  the 
subject,  especially  as  I  did  not  know  with  any  certainty  what 
you  desired.  Besides,  I  knew  there  were  certain  men  whom 
the  majority  desired  to  get  in.  .  .  . 

I  hope  you  and  I  shall  have  many  opportunities  of  meet- 
ing before  another  occasion  of  the  kind  occurs,  when  we  can 
talk  over  the  matter. — Believe  me  always  sincerely  yours, 

Fred.  W.  Burton. 


254 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


142. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossetti. 

[The  phrase  "  you  remember  Trelawny  "  relates  to  a  very 
old  affair.  In  1843,  when  I  was  thirteen  years  of  age, 
Trelawny  called  in  my  Father's  house  once  or  twice,  and  he 
had  occasion  to  speak  to  me.] 

Florence,  P[onte]  Vecchio. 
6  March  1867. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — .  .  .  I  send  you  by  this  post  the  photo 
of  Dante's  writing  and  drawing ;  I  hope  you  will  get  it.  .  .  . 
The  writing  is,  I  think,  a  century  or  two  more  modern,  but  it 
agrees  wonderfully  with  Leonardo  Aretino's  description.  .  .  . 

I  have  just  seen  H.  Hunt.  I  like  him  much :  he  seems 
a  man  of  great  sensibility.  As  for  his  works,  I  know 
nothing.  .  .  . 

So  you  remember  Trelawny.  He  is  a  magnificent, 
magnanimous  fellow  and  friend ;  but  perhaps  too  much  of  a 
republican  for  you — not  for  me ;  and  he  is  the  sincerest  of 
men,  and  the  great  enemy  of  priestcraft,  the  greatest  friend 
of  Shelley.  You  know  his  (Trelawny's)  two  biographies. 
They  are  immensely  popular  on  the  Continent.  I  have  seen 
five  editions  of  his  first  life  in  French  and  English.  .  .  . 

My  somnambula,  Olimpia,  tells  me  that  Dante  is  Gari- 
baldi's angelo  custode.  He  never  comes  but  when  Garibaldi  is 
in  Florence,  which  I  always  know  by  that.  I  met  G[aribaldi] 
in  the  street  the  other  day.  I  said  nothing  to  her  ;  and  sure 
enough  Dante  came,  and  she  did  not  know  it,  though  D[ante] 
told  us  where  he,  G[aribaldi],  was  lodging.  He  was  always 
with  him  during  the  war.  He,  D[ante],  is  no  longer  a 
Ghibelline,  but  a  Republican ;  again  and  above  all  a 
Unionist  and  Antipapal.  He  always  agreed  with  your  Father, 
when  nobody  in  Florence  did.  Our  medium  was  a  young 
girl,  unlettered,  and  could  hardly  read  at  sixteen ;  and,  as  I 
required  some  better  proof  than  her  word,  he  gave  us  some 
indubitable  physical  demonstrations  beyond  the  reach  of 
fraud.  .  .  . 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1867 


255 


You  ask  why  the  window  of  the  small  room  is  left  open. 
It  always  is,  by  their  desire,  that  they  may  take  the  object. 
They  cannot  get  it  through  stone  walls,  though  they  can  pass 
themselves.  There  is  no  window  beyond  it,  as  it  is  a  corner- 
house,  and  there  is  none  over  it ;  and  the  chair  is  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  not  close  to  the  window.  My  studio  is 
the  next  room  to  it,  where  I  mostly  sit,  and  where  you  once 
sat.  .  .  . 

The  photograph  I  by  this  post  send  you  is  very  good  and 
exceedingly  correct,  even  the  creasing  of  the  paper  (it  was 
quite  smooth  when  I  placed  it),  and  the  drawing  has  been  a 
little  rubbed. 

Home's  fortune  is  £2j^^QO  consols  in  his  name,  and  the 
promise  of  an  inheritance  of  ^5000  a  year.  I  don't  know 
Mrs  Lyon's  maiden  name,  but  her  late  husband  was  a  relation 
of  Lord  Strathmore.  She  promises  him  a  town-house  well 
mounted,  and  they  are  now  coming  abroad.  .  .  . 

Remember  me  to  Swinburne.  He  is  our  champion 
against  tyranny,  temporal  and  spiritual. 

I  like  Hunt  immensely  :  he  was  with  me  last  evening. 
He  will  go  soon  :  that  is  the  worst  of  being  abroad.  Adieu, 
my  dear  friend. — Yours  ever, 

S.  KiRKUP. 


143.— Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

Florence,  2  Ponte  Vecchio. 
23  March  1S67. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — .  .  .  You  tell  me  your  younger  Sister 
is  delicate.  Take  care  of  her,  and  in  time.  I  was  given  over 
forty  years  ago  for  consumption :  I  never  saw  any  living 
being  so  far  gone.  I  was  saved  by  Sir  James  Clarke.  ...  I 
lived  entirely  on  asses'  milk  and  a  bit  of  bread  three  times  a 
day ;  and  after  a  fortnight  the  milk  began  to  disagree  with 
me,  and  he  substituted  Iceland  moss  for  another  fortnight, 


256 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


and  kept  me  afterwards  on  low  diet,  attending  to  my  liver 
and  stomach,  which  had  been  the  original  cause  of  (really) 
purulent  disease  of  the  chest.  But,  on  seeing  me  cured,  he 
supposed  it  had  been  confined  to  the  membranes  and  lining 
of  the  lungs,  with  all  the  usual  hectic  symptoms  to  the 
greatest  degree.  Travelling  is  dangerous  on  account  of 
exposure,  but  staying  in  a  warm  climate  is  another  thing. 
.  .  .  There  is  a  spot  under  the  hill  of  Fiesole  that  seems 
to  cure  everybody — much  more  than  Pisa  or  Nice.  .  .  . — 
Sincerely  yours, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


144. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Oliver  Brown. 

[My  Brother  always  retained  his  liking  for  Oliver  Brown's 
first  painting,  Queen  Margaret  and  the  Outlaw ;  which  was 
indeed  a  very  remarkable  effort  for  such  a  youth,  incompar- 
ably superior  to  anything  done  by  Dante  Rossetti  himself  at 
any  like  age  ;  and  for  some  years  he  kept  it  by  him.  I  think 
he  made  it  over  to  the  bereaved  Father,  soon  after  Oliver's 
death  in  November  1874.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
10  May  1867. 

My  dear  Nolly, — On  reading  your  nice  letter  I  only 
deferred  writing  in  answer  because  I  thought  I  would  examine 
the  drawing  afresh  when  it  came,  and  thank  you  for  it  with  a 
full  impression  of  its  beauty  at  the  moment.  But  now, 
on  looking  at  your  letter  again,  I  find  you  actually  ask  me 
beforehand  whether  I  will  accept  your  present ;  so  let  me 
hasten  to  say  Yes  before  it  comes. 

I  assure  you  I  consider  it  very  beautiful  both  in  design 
and  colour,  and  a  first  effort  of  which  you  need  never  be 
ashamed,  however  much  you  may  advance  as  an  artist. 

Hard  study  and  application  are  not  to  be  dispensed  with 
by  any  one  entering  on  art ;  but  it  is  something  to  make  such 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1867 


257 


a  beginning  as  this,  and  so  feel  sure  that,  though  without 
labour  no  perfection  can  ever  be  attained,  still  there  is  no 
doubt  of  your  labour  to  become  a  complete  artist  being  really 
worth  your  while,  and  not  a  mistaken  course  in  life,  as  it  is 
with  many. 

I  shall  value  this  first  work  of  yours  most  highly,  and 
make  no  doubt  of  the  verdict  of  all  good  judges  who  will  see 
it  being  the  same  as  my  own  as  to  your  future  career.  Next 
year  I  hope  your  Father  will  agree  with  me  that  you  should 
aim  at  exhibiting  something.  — With  sincere  affection  and 
good  wishes,  believe  me,  my  dear  Nolly,  most  truly  yours, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


145. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Oliver  Brown. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
[1867—?  ^ay]. 

My  dear  Nolly,  I  am  sending  some  painting  materials  for 
your  acceptance.  The  more  I  look  at  your  drawing,  the  more 
I  see  you  are  well  able  to  use  them.  .  .  . 

I  showed  your  water-colour  to  Mr  Whistler  after  you 
were  gone,  and  he  admired  it  very  much  indeed.  .  .  . — Yours 
affectionately, 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


146.— William  Rossettl— List  of  Subjects  for 
Pictures. 

[It  must  have  been  towards  May  1867  that  I  began 
noting  down,  from  any  miscellaneous  reading,  subjects  which 
struck  me  as  being  suitable  for  pictures :  perhaps  my  list 
may  be  thought  worth  perusal.  I  am  rather  sorry  that  I 
dropped  it  after  a  brief  term — only  very  recently  resuming 

R 


258 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


it.  The  reader  (even  if  not  versed  in  questions  of  fine  art) 
will  readily  perceive  that,  while  there  are  thousands  of  most 
interesting  incidents  recorded  in  history,  biography,  etc., 
only  a  moderate  percentage  of  these  are  adapted  for  being 
treated  as  pictures — this  percentage  consisting  of  those 
subjects  which  can  pretty  well  explain  themselves  to  the 
eye,  apart  from  antecedents  and  consequents  that  cannot 
be  embodied  in  the  picture.] 

1.  Athencetnn,  No.  2063,  /.  622. — Marie  Antoinette  in 
prison  counted  the  dirty  linen  for  the  laundress,  and  Louis 
XVI.  wrote  out  the  list. 

2.  Cancellieri,  Originalita  di  Dante,  p.  1 7. — Marsilio  Ficino 
and  Michele  Mercati  promised  that  whichever  died  first 
would  bring  to  the  other  some  news  of  the  other  world. 
Ficino  being  dead,  a  knock  came  at  Mercati's  door  in 
San  Miniato :  he,  looking  out  of  window,  saw  a  white  man 
on  a  white  horse,  who  disappeared,  saying  "  Ve7'a,  vera,  sunt 
illar 

3.  Longfellozv' s  Inferno,  p.  215,  from  Odyssey,  B.  11. — 
Clytemnestra  slays  Cassandra,  while  Agamemnon,  dying, 
clutches  at  his  sword. 

4.  Ditto,  p.  217,  ditto. — Minos,  seated,  with  golden  sceptre, 
gives  laws  to  the  dead  who  plead  their  causes  before  him. 

5.  Ditto,  p.  221,  yEneid,  B.  6. — ^neas  meets  Dido  in 
Hades,  and  tries  to  soothe  her.  She  remains  moveless  with 
eyes  on  the  ground,  and  finally  retires  to  Sichaeus  in  a  grove. 

6.  Hamel,  Histoire  de  Robespierre,  vol.  3,  //.  639-40. — 
About  1794  it  was  a  practice  for  people  of  all  sorts  to  dine 
together  in  the  streets  or  spaces  of  Paris  etc.  :  as,  ladies  with 
their  servants.  Aristocrats  with  San.sculottes,  etc. 

7.  Haydojis  Life,  vol.  2,  /.  165. — Chaucer  beating  a  Fran- 
ciscan in  Fleet  Street,  for  which  he  got  fined  (Lamb  propo.ses 
this  subject). 

8.  Michelet,  feanne  D'Arc,  p.  47.— After  the  battle  of 
Patay,  June  1429,  Joan,  seeing  an  English  prisoner  knocked 
on  the  head  and  mortally  injured  by  his  captor,  held  his 
head,  and  got  a  priest  to  attend  him. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1867 


259 


9.  M^zerai^  Histoire  de  France^  vol.  2,  /.  376. — Godefroi, 
Bishop  of  Amiens,  12th  century,  refused  to  give  the  Eucharist 
one  day  to  men  of  fashion  who  presented  themseh-es  wearing 
long  and  elaborate  hair.  They  cut  off  their  hair  on  the  spot, 
and  the  Eucharist  was  then  given  them. 

10.  Ditto^  vol.  2,  p.  406. — St  Louis,  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Saracens  in  Egypt,  compelled  to  witness  the  flagellation  of, 
and  other  insults  to,  a  Crucifix. 

11.  Ditto,  vol.  3,/.  76. — God  presented  a  plan  of  religious 
association  (la  Sainte  Trinite  de  la  Redemption  des  Captifs), 
confirmed  by  the  Pope,  1209,  to  Jean  de  Matha,  a  Provcngal 
gentleman  and  doctor  of  theology,  and  Hermit  Felix,  both 
retired  to  a  solitude  near  Meaux. 

12.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  181. — Year  1357.  A  freebooter, 
Arnauld  de  Cervoles,  calHng  himself  I'Archipretre,  held 
the  Pope  to  ransom  in  Avignon  ;  and  then  made  him  give 
absolution,  and  treat  him  at  dinner  with  the  respect  due 
to  a  sovereign  prince. 

13.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  307. — Year  1408.  Pope  (or  Antipope) 
Benedict  sent  Sancio  Lupi  and  an  equerry  to  the  King  of 
France  to  threaten  an  excommunication.  The  messengers 
were  seized,  set  up  on  a  scaffold,  with  paper  mitres  and 
painted  dalmatics  bearing  Benedict's  arms,  and  preached  at 
very  severely  by  a  Docteur. 

14.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  309. — A  mediaeval  Noyade,  1408.  The 
Bishop  of  Liege  having  regained  his  power,  great  numbers 
of  the  opponents  were  thrown  into  the  Meuse,  tied  two  and 
two,  besides  other  executions  on  a  vast  scale. 

15.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  353. — Henry  V.  of  England,  after  his 
victories  in  France  (1421),  while  besieging  Dreux,  was 
warned  by  a  Hermit  of  his  injustice,  and  threatened  with 
divine  punishment.    He  paid  no  attention. 

16.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  412. — The  Dauphin  (Louis  XL),  aged 
about  22,  gave  un  soufflet  X.o  Agnes  Sorel  at  Chinon. 

17.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  459. — Louis  XL  (to  divert  attention 
from  other  matters)  caused  the  stags,  kids,  fawns,  storks, 
swans,  cormorants,  talking  birds,  and  other  pet  animals,  to 
be  seized  throughout  Paris. 


260 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


18.  Ditto,  vol.  5,/.  222. — Henri  III.  (towards  1577)  held 
a  feast  in  which  women  dressed  as  men,  in  green,  served  at 
table :  all  the  guests  in  the  same  colour. 

19.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  223. — Catherine  de'  Medici,  in  return, 
gave  a  feast  where  the  handsomest  ladies  of  the  Court  served, 
with  their  bosoms  displayed  and  hair  dishevelled. 

20.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  262. — Cir,  1583.  Henri  HI.  would  go 
masking  in  the  Carnival,  and  indulging  in  all  sorts  of 
dissipation :  and  in  Lent  joining  in  processions  of  penitents. 
(Suppose  midnight  on  last  day  of  Carnival,  and  Maskers 
and  Penitents  in  presence  of  one  another.) 

21.  Ockley,  History  of  the  Saracens,  pp.  11 5-6. — A.D.  633. 
Caulah  (a  young  virgin)  and  other  Arabian  women,  having 
been  taken  prisoners  by  Peter  and  other  Damascenes,  set 
themselves  close  together  (on  the  halt  between  place  of 
capture  and  Damascus),  and  defended  themselves  with  tent- 
poles,  killing  many  Christians.  Peter  was  in  love  with 
Caulah.  At  last  Kaled,  Derar  (brother  of  Caulah),  and 
other  Arabs,  came  up,  and  delivered  the  women. 

22.  Ritchie,  Early  Letters  of  fane  Carlyle. — Carlyle  in 
London  (towards  1836)  smoking  a  long  pipe  on  the  top  of  a 
cistern  (for  want  of  accommodation  indoors). 

23.  Livy. — Camillus  at  Falerii.  A  traitorous  Pedagogue 
of  Falerii,  which  city  was  at  war  with  the  Romans,  had 
tempted  a  number  of  boys  of  the  highest  families  into 
Camillus's  tent.  Camillus  had  the  Pedagogue  stripped  and 
bound,  and  got  the  boys  to  whip  him  back  to  Falerii. 

24.  Ditto,  B.  8,  p.  122. — Various  Roman  Matrons  were 
arrested  as  poisoners.  Cornelia  and  Sergia  maintained  that 
the  poisons  were  merely  medicines.  They  were  told  in 
court  to  drink  the  liquors.  They  and  others  of  the  accused 
drank,  and  all  died.    A.U.C.  424. 

25.  fosephuSy  p.  761. — Herod  entered  the  sepulchre  of 
David,  and  extracted  thence  masses  of  jewels  and  gold 
ornaments.  Proceeding  inwards  to  view  the  corpses  of 
David  and  Solomon,  he  was  assailed  by  a  miraculous 
flame,  which  killed  two  of  his  favourites.  Night-time. 

26.  Gardiner's  Cromiv ell,  p.  \  JO. — (T/r.  1655.  Cromwell  had 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1867 


261 


not  money  to  pay  his  army.  Some  of  his  Guard  entered 
his  kitchen,  walked  off  with  provisions,  and  told  Cromwell 
to  his  face  that  they  must  pay  themselves  in  kind. 

27.  Ditto^  p.  174. — Cir.  1656.  General  Pride,  when  the 
Bear-garden,  Southwark,  was  kept  up  in  spite  of  various 
edicts,  slew  the  bears  with  his  own  hands,  and  closed  the 
show. 

28.  Encyclopcedia  Britannica ;  article^  Vesta.  —  Stilicho's 
wife,  Serena,  went  to  the  Atrium  Vestae,  Rome,  and 
appropriated  a  precious  necklace  from  one  of  the  statues. 
The  last  remaining  Vestal  Virgin  remonstrated,  but  in  vain. 

29.  Home's  Life  of  Napoleon^  vol.  2,  16. — Night  of  13 
October  1806.  Napoleon,  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Jena, 
found  that  Lannes's  Artillery  had  got  jammed  in  a  ravine. 
He  ordered  the  soldiers  to  cut  away  the  rocks  on  either 
side.  They  did  so,  with  the  "park-tools,"  Napoleon  holding 
a  lantern  for  a  group  of  soldiers  :  and  thus  the  Artillery 
was  got  out. 

30.  Ditto,  ditto,  p.  467. — Napoleon  at  St  Helena  in 
1 816,  in  riding,  saw  some  labourers  ploughing.  He  dis- 
mounted, took  hold  of  the  plough,  and  traced  a  long 
furrow. 

31.  Ford  M.  Hjieffer,  The  Cinque  Ports,  p.  313. — In  the 
time  of  King  Egbright,  about  the  7th  century,  a  noble 
lady  named  Domnewa  was  at  her  prayers.  The  Devil 
put  out  her  candle,  and  her  Guardian  Angel  re-lit  it. 

32.  MatJiilde  Blind,  a  Letter  to  myself,  dated  22  fidy 
1 87 1. — In  1 81 2,  at  Lymouth,  Devonshire,  Shelley  had  a 
fancy  for  launching  fire-balloons.  On  one  such  occasion 
his  wife  Harriet  and  the  servant-girl  (afterwards  Mrs 
Blackmore)  were  present ;  also  the  landlady  Mrs  Hooper, 
who  got  alarmed  at  the  risk  of  firing  her  thatched  roof 

33.  Mr  Gledstanes  Waiigh,  a  Letter  to  viyself,  dated 
1873. — A  person  whom  he  met  at  Great  Marlow  informed 
him  that  in  boyhood  he  had  seen  Shelley  on  the  Bridge  of 
Marlow,  returning  home  from  a  walk,  his  person  much 
beset  with  tendrils  of  plants. 

34.  Constant,   Meiiioires   sur   Napoleon,  vol.   2,  p.  54. — 


262 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Napoleon,  before  going  to  bed,  entered  the  petit  salon  of 
Constant  (his  Premier  Valet  de  Chambre)  and  other  attend- 
ants ;  and,  finding  one  of  them  reading  a  novel,  he  grabbed 
it,  and  threw  it  into  the  fire. 

35.  Ditto^  ditto.  —  On  another  day,  in  the  morning, 
Napoleon  threw  into  the  fire  some  book  of  his  own.  His 
Mameloiik  Roustan  stooped  to  pick  it  out,  but  Napoleon 
prevented  him. 

36.  Ditto^  ditto,  p.  60. — Napoleon  kept  gazelles  at  St 
Cloud.  With  Napoleon,  and  with  him  alone,  they  were 
very  tame,  and  eagerly  ate  snuff  which  he  would  present 
to  them  in  his  snuff-box. 

37.  Ditto,  vol.  3,  /.  237. — Sometimes  Napoleon  got  his 
boy-nephew.  Napoleon  (son  of  Louis),  to  offer  the  snuff- 
box to  the  gazelles  ;  and  he  would  afterwards  set  the  child 
astride  of  one  of  them.  This  boy  died  at  the  age  of  seven, 
two  years  before  the  divorce  of  Josephine. 

38.  Ditto,  ditto. — Napoleon  was  with  Josephine  in  the 
Tuileries  after  a  review,  and  had  laid  aside  his  hat  and 
sword.  The  child  Napoleon  accoutred  himself  in  the  hat 
and  sword,  and  went  up  and  down  humming  a  march-tune. 
The  Emperor  kissed  him. 

39.  Ditto,  vol.  4,  p.  38. — In  July  1808,  after  appointing 
Joseph  to  be  King  of  Spain,  Napoleon  was  at  Agen.  An 
old  man  aged  a  hundred  and  fourteen,  named  Printemps, 
who  had  fought  under  Louis  XIV.,  was  presented  to 
him.  Napoleon  made  him  sit  down,  and  himself  sat  beside 
him,  chatting,  and  saying:  "Vous  avez  entendu  parler 
de  moi  dernierement  ? " — He  got  Printemps  to  speak  of 
his  campaigns. 

40.  Ditto,  vol.  5,  p.  37. — On  the  lawn  at  Trianon,  when 
Napoleon's  son  was  a  year  old,  he  put  his  sword-belt  on 
the  infant's  shoulders,  and  his  cocked  hat  on  his  head  :  then, 
going  some  steps  off,  he  held  out  his  hands  to  the  child, 
who  still  tottered. 

41.  Due  de  Sully's  Memoirs,  vol.  y,  p.  312 — quoting  fro  in 
Saiival. — Henri  IV.,  at  the  Church  of  St  Gervais,  was  along 
with  his  mistress  the  Marquise  de  Verneuil,  listening  to  a 


JOHN  RUSKIN,  1867 


263 


sermon  delivered  by  the  Pere  Gonthier,  a  Jesuit.  The 
Marquise  and  other  court-ladies  were  chatting  and  trying  to 
make  Henri  laugh.  Gonthier  turned  towards  him,  asking 
when  he  would  leave  off  consorting  with  his  seraglio  in  the 
House  of  God.  The  ladies  were  incensed,  but  Henri  soon 
afterwards  expressed  himself  obliged  to  Gonthier  for  the 
admonition. 


147. — John  Ruskin  to  William  Rossettl 

[Mr  Ruskin  was  a  vigorous  adversary  of  the  Northern 
States  of  the  American  Union  in  their  Civil  War  against 
the  slave-holding  and  seceding  Southern  States.  My  sym- 
pathies were  strong  in  the  opposite  direction.  Mr  Ruskin 
wrote  a  series  of  letters  to  Mr  Thomas  Dixon,  the  Cork- 
cutter  of  Sunderland ;  they  were  printed  at  once  in  some 
newspaper,  and  eventually  in  a  volume  entitled  Time  and 
Tide  by  Wear  and  Tyne.  In  the  course  of  the  corre- 
spondence Ruskin  wrote  something  about  the  American 
War  ;  and  Dixon  replied,  mentioning  me  as  being  one  of 
those  who  differed  from  Ruskin  on  the  subject.  Then 
Ruskin  responded,  saying  something  to  the  effect  that  my 
notions  regarding  the  war  were  of  no  account  as  compared 
with  Carlyle's,  and  that  my  knowledge  of  fine  art  was 
simply  what  I  had  learned  from  Ruskin  himself  and  from 
my  Brother.  Seeing  this  statement  printed  in  the  news- 
paper, I  wrote  to  the  illustrious  author,  deferentially  query- 
ing whether  he  had  adequate  evidence  on  which  to  found 
this  opinion  concerning  the  fine-art  matter.  His  reply  was 
as  follows.  It  intimates  that  the  passage  would  be  re- 
trenched from  the  reprint  in  volume-form,  and  so  it  was. — 
Old  J.  D.  Harding  "  was  a  landscape-painter  of  some  skill 
and  repute,  who  had  given  Ruskin,  then  a  very  young 
man,  a  certain  amount  of  instruction  in  the  art. — I  am 
unable  to  acquiesce  in  Mr  Ruskin's  idea,  respecting 
Japanese   art,  that   "  my  Brother  crammed   his  crotchets 


264 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


down  my  throat."  That  my  Brother  admired  Japanese 
art  to  a  very  large  extent  is  a  fact :  I  did  the  same,  and 
was,  of  the  two,  the  more  decided  "  Japoniseur."] 

Denmark  Hill. 
27  May  1867. 

Dear  Rossetti, — Thanks  for  your  kind  note.  I  never 
had  any  intention  of  keeping  that  phrase  in  the  reprint ; 
but  I  strictly  wrote  those  letters  as  I  would  have  done  had 
they  been  private — though  I  knew  they  would  be  published. 
They  are  to  be  read  as  a  little  piece  of  permitted  exposure 
of  one's  inner  mind — for  special  purpose.  Carlyle  was 
furious  at  what  I  said  of  hini^  but  I  didn't  care.  That 
also  goes  out  in  reprint. 

Of  course,  in  a  saying  like  that,  "inference"  va  sans 
dire — one  can't  say  "  as  far  as  I  can  judge  "  :  and  of  course 
also  the  lateral  and  confirmatory  work  is  supposed.  I 
should  not  have  minded  a  bit  old  J.  D.  Harding's  saying 
of  me,  "  I  taught  him  all  he  knows  about  art."  If  I  knew 
a  thing  or  two  more,  it  was  quite  natural  in  him  not  to 
see  it.  He  could  only  speak  as  he  saw — and  in  a  certain 
sense.  All  teaching  is  but  the  beginning  of  things. — Ever 
affectionately  yours, 

J.  RUSKIN. 

Lest  you  should  think  this  an  equivocal  sort  of  backing 
out  of  the  thing,  I  will  tell  you  exactly  the  feeling  which 
gave  origin  to  the  sentence.  When  we  had  our  last  talk 
over  Japan  art,  my  soliloquy  to  myself  was  simply  this : 
"  What  a  pity  that  fellow  —  ingenious  as  he  is — lets  his 
Brother  cram  his  crotchets  down  his  throat !  I  wish  I 
hadn't  lost  sight  of  him  for  so  long ;  I  would  have  kept 
him  straighten" 

Then  I've  .  .  .  become  much  more  arrogant  and  sulky 
than  ever  I  was — and  I  was  bad  enough  before. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1867 


265 


148.  — James  Leathart  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
30  May  1867. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — .  .  .  With  respect  to  your  proposition 
to  pay  back  the  money  paid  on  account  of  the  Found  picture, 
I  have  to  say  that  I  should  very  much  prefer  to  receive  the 
picture  ;  and,  if  you  will  permit  one  who  has  for  a  long  time 
derived  much  pleasure  from  your  works  and  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  your  success  to  give  advice,  I  should  strongly 
recommend  you  to  finish  this  work  without  delay.  If  by  a 
little  reflection  you  can  get  yourself  into  the  proper  vein,  I 
am  sure  it  will  be  a  short  business  for  you  to  complete  the 
picture ;  and  in  so  doing  you  would  add,  not  only  to  my 
satisfaction,  but  in  my  opinion  to  your  present  eminent 
position  as  an  artist.  I  am  vain  enough  to  believe  you  would 
be  as  glad  to  see  the  picture  upon  my  walls  as  upon  almost 
any  other — at  all  events,  none  would  be  prouder  of  it  than  I 
would.  As  soon  as  you  have  thought  over  the  matter,  let  me 
hear  from  you  :  and,  if  you  are  still  indisposed  to  finishing  the 
picture  in  a  moderate  period,  I  shall  be  quite  willing  to  accept 
your  proposal.  .  .  . — Ever  yours  truly, 

James  Leathart. 

149.  — Dante  Rossetti  to  James  Leathart. 

[This  letter  bears  no  written  date.  It  appears  to  be  a 
reply  to  the  last  preceding  letter  from  Mr  Leathart,  and  I 
therefore  date  it  as  under.  The  sum  which  Mr  Leathart  had 
advanced  for  the  picture  Found  was  actually  repaid  by 
Rossetti  in  November  1869.] 

[16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
?  5  Ju?ie  1867.] 

My  dear  Leathart, — The  question  to  which  you  recur  in 
your  letter — i.e.^  that  of  my  completing  the  picture  for  you — is 


256 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


one  which  I  have  so  long  found,  whenever  I  have  turned  my 
mind  to  it,  to  be  under  the  circumstances  continually  im- 
practicable, that  I  cannot  believe  it  would  be  of  any  real  use 
attempting  again  to  entertain  it  now.  I  have  therefore  only 
to  express  my  satisfaction  at  your  acceptance  of  my  proposal, 
and  to  thank  you  for  the  kind  expressions  in  your  letter,  as 
well  as  again  for  the  course  you  have  pursued  all  along  in  the 
matter.  On  my  side,  I  will  trust,  by  applying  myself  to  the 
payment  of  the  debt  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  by  doing  my 
best  with  the  little  picture  which  forms  part  of  our  fresh 
arrangement,  not  to  leave  an  impression  on  your  mind  of  my 
having  behaved  badly  in  the  long  run. — With  kind  remem- 
brances to  Mrs  Leathart  and  all  yours,  I  am,  my  dear 
Leathart,  yours  very  truly, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


150.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

["  The  Jacob  picture "  is  commonly  termed  Jacob  and 
Joseph's  Coat — the  Brothers  of  Joseph  bringing  his  blood- 
stained coat  of  many  colours  to  Jacob.  Mr  Leyland  bought 
for  ^84  the  water-colour  version  of  this  composition.] 

[16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
24  June  1867.] 

My  dear  Brown, — I  was  near  coming  down  with  Leyland 
to-day.  .  .  .  He  was  talking  to-day  with  great  admiration  of 
the  Jacob  picture,  so  I  told  him  of  the  water-colour  of  it.  He 
said  he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  same,  but  you  withdrew 
it.  So  I  told  him  we'd  go  together,  and  I  would  undertake 
he  should  see  it.  I  think  he  would  be  sure  to  buy  that  or 
something.  He  asked  the  price,  and  I  said  I  supposed  100 
guineas.  He  then  said  that  in  that  case  he  got  the  Elijah 
cheap  at  80.  So  I  said  I  did  not  know  the  exact  price.  If 
you  object  to  my  bringing  him,  let  me  know.  I  think  he  is 
well  disposed. — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1867 


267 


151. — William  Allingham  to  William  Rossetti. 

41  Kensington  Square. 
30  June  1867. 

My  dear  William, — Though  I  hope  to  see  you  in  a  day  or 
two,  I  will  not  omit  in  the  meantime  to  thank  you  for  your 
book,  which  I  received  and  have  partly  read  with  much 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  on  various  grounds.  Your  art- 
criticisms  appear  to  me  the  most  trustworthy  of  our  time — 
sound  in  principles,  wide  in  sympathies,  often  subtle,  yet 
always  distinct  and  reasonable  ;  and  your  volume  will  do 
much  good,  I  hope.  If  you  can  only  get  it  driven  into  the 
head  of  the  British  public,  as  something  beyond  dispute,  that 
a  picture  ought  first  of  all  to  be  a  picture,  it  will  be  a 
"  platform  "  for  every  kind  of  art-knowledge  of  which  that 
public  is  capable.  .  .  . — Yours  always, 

W.  Allingham. 


152.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown,  Calais. 

[Calais  was  Brown's  native  place,  although  in  blood  he 
was  entirely  British  :  he  had  now  gone  thither  for  a  brief  trip. 
— The  "  maniac  named  Valpy "  was  a  solicitor,  who  in  the 
sequel  had  some  considerable  purchasing-transactions  with 
my  Brother  :  I  hardly  remember  how  the  latter  knew  him 
first — perhaps  through  Howell  as  connected  with  Ruskin,  or 
it  may  be  through  Smetham.  He  was  not  at  all  a  maniac, 
but  was  something  of  a  sentimentalist,  of  a  nervous  and 
flurried  turn  :  a  conscientious  gentleman,  of  high  and  fidgeting 
standards  in  life.  He  was  often  called  "The  V^ampyre"  by 
my  Brother  and  by  Howell.  This  was  little  or  nothing 
beyond  a  perversion  of  the  name  Valpy.  The  rumour  also 
ran — I  suppose  erroneously — that  he  was  the  original  of  the 
effusive  and  tearful  solicitor  Baines  Carew,  in  the  Bab  Ballads 


268 


ROSSETTl  PAPERS 


of  Mr  W.  S.  Gilbert. — The  statement  that  Rossetti's  TibulLns 
was  "  a  dead  'oss  "  must  mean  that,  being  already  sold  to  some 
one  else,  it  was  unavailable  for  eliciting  coin  from  Mr  Valpy.] 

[16CHEYNE  Walk,  Chelsea. 
July  1867.] 

Dear  Brown, — I'm  sorry  to  say  I  shall  have  to  use  your 
cheque  on  Monday.  I  am  at  present  still  waiting  for 
Agnew's  visit.  If  with  good  result,  I  can  easily  lend  the 
sum  again.  How  you  manage  to  have  a  banking-account 
I  don't  know.    I  never  can. 

I  hope  you  are  enjoying  yourself  at  Calais,  and  that 
Emma  benefits.    Love  to  her.  .  .  . 

There  is  a  maniac  named  Valpy  whom  I  shall  bring  to 
see  your  things  when  you  are  in  London  again,  and  who 
I  think  would  buy  something.  He  wanted  to  have  my 
Tibullus  the  other  day,  but  couldn't — more's  the  pity,  it 
being  a  dead  'oss,  or  at  any  rate  knacker. — Your 

D.  Gabriel  R. 


153.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown,  Calais. 

["  Frith's  big  daub "  was  Kmg  Charles  the  Second's  last 
Sunday^ 

16  Cheyne  Walk. 
25  July  1867. 

My  dear  Brown, — I  suppose  you  are  still  in  Calais,  as  I 
have  heard  no  more  of  you. 

I  have  some  very  good  news  for  myself  to  tell  you.  I 
have  been  designing  the  Perseus  and  Medusa  subject ;  and 
yesterday  Mr  Matthews  the  Brewer  came  to  see  the  design, 
and  commissioned  the  picture  for  1500  guineas.  It  is  a 
very  straightforward  work,  and  will  not  involve  delay  or 
great  labour ;  so  this  is  a  capital  thing  for  me.  Moreover, 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1867 


269 


though  he  would  prefer  a  half-life  scale,  he  is  willing  if  I  like 
to  take  it  life-size ;  so  that  I  have  it  all  my  own  way.  Now 
what  I  want  is  a  studio.  Shields  has  suggested  having  an 
iron  one  put  up  in  the  garden,  which  he  says  he  believes 
could  be  done  in  a  week  or  two,  and  for  about  £ioo.  Do 
you  know  anything  of  such  things?  If  so,  I  wish  you  would 
write  me  a  word  thereanent.  I  confess  I  rather  dread  iron  ; 
still,  if  the  cost  were  so  small,  it  might  be  looked  on  as  only 
a  temporary  convenience,  and  at  any  rate  would  not  turn 
the  house  topsy-turvy  while  doing. 

When  are  you  coming  back  ?  Mr  Matthews  is  a  queer 
character, — seems  to  buy  all  sorts.  Frith's  big  daub  in  the 
R.A.  belongs  to  him,  also  Hunt's  Afterglow  (do  you 
remember  what  he  gave  for  it?),  Solomon's  Amphitheatre^ 
Millais's  Ransom^  lots  of  Pooles,  and  many  other  things. 
He  thinks  of  building  a  Gallery,  and  may,  I  dare  say,  turn 
out  permanently  useful.  .  .  . — Your  affectionate 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


154. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
5  August  1867.] 

My  dear  Brown, — Cormorants,  porpoises,  and  great  sea- 
serpents,  are  so  rife  in  these  latitudes  that  I  am  only  able 
to  save  ^15  from  their  clutches  at  this  instant,  which  I  send, 
and  this  with  perfect  comfort.  The  other  10  shall  come  very 
soon. 

I  shall  be  looking  you  up  again  one  evening,  and  getting 
you  to  fix  a  day  to  come  and  consider  the  studio-question. — 
Your  affectionate 

D.  Gabriel  R, 


270 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


155. — John  Burroughs  to  Moncure  Conway. 

Office  of  Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  Washington. 
10  August  1867. 

Dear  Mr  Conway, —  .  .  .  We  were  deeply  impressed 
with  Mr  Rossetti's  article  in  The  Chronicle.  It  is  a  grand 
and  lofty  piece  of  criticism.  It  was  not  till  the  third  reading 
that  I  saw  the  full  scope  and  significance  of  it.  I  am  sure 
Walt  feels  very  grateful  to  him  and  to  yourself.  The  article 
has  had  its  effect  here.  The  Round  Table  copied  the  con- 
clusion of  it,  and  completely  reversed  its  verdict  of  a  year 
ago.  The  Nation,  Times,  etc.,  copied  also ;  and  now  The 
Citizen  appears  with  the  article  entire.  We  shall  circulate  it 
well.  Our  cause  gains  fast.  The  leaven  is  working  and  no 
mistake.  The  Editor  of  The  Galaxy,  Mr  Church,  wrote 
O'Connor  the  other  day  saying  he  would  like  a  poem  from 
Walt  for  his  Magazine,  and  suggested  for  theme  the  harvest 
which  the  returned  soldiers  have  sown  and  gathered.  The 
proposition  was  well  received  by  Walt ;  and  a  few  mornings 
afterward  he  fell  to  work,  and  in  a  couple  of  days  had  finished 
the  piece.  Church  writes  back  that  it  is  splendid,  and  will 
appear  in  the  September  number  of  his  Magazine.  It  is 
called  A  Carol  of  Han' est  for  1867.  It  is  one  of  his  grandest 
poems,  and  I  think  will  take  well.  .  .  . — Truly  yours, 

John  Burroughs. 


156. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
15  August  1867.] 

My  dear  Brown, — Dreffle  bad,  ain't  it  ? 
All  would  be  well  as  to  the  £\o,  were  it  not  that  I  had  on 
Monday  to  send  that  very  sum  to  Lizzie's  brother  Harry, 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1867 


271 


who  has  had  the  small-pox ;  and  (what  is  worse)  I  have 
reason  to  fear  at  present  that  it  may  have  been  lost  in  the 
post,  though  registered.  However,  I  suppose  I  must  draw  on 
Leyland  on  my  own  account,  and  can  then  do  the  needful.  I 
wished  to  avoid  doing  this  further  till  all  his  daubs  were 
daubed  ;  but  other  matters  than  yours  will  force  me  to  it,  I 
fear.  As  for  the  wretch  Gambart,  his  d — d  ^200  (minus  5s. 
which  he  stopped  for  something  Hke  cab-hire)  are  had  and 
spent  now— and  now  he  wants  more  done  to  the  drawings, 
and  has  left  two  of  them  with  me.  Let  him  write,  and  won't 
he  get  it ! — this  at  least  will  be  a  tit-bit.  I'm  on  the  right 
side  of  the  hedge  this  time.  .  .  . — Your  affectionate 

D.  G.  R. 


157. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[Kirkup  wrote  in  this  letter  that  he  remembered  "the 
death  of  Louis  XV."  That  is  impossible,  for  Louis  XV. 
died  in  1774.  I  have  substituted,  what  he  must  have 
meant,  "XVI."] 

Florence,  Ponte  Vecchio  2. 
27  Septe7)iber  1867. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Your  letter  is  very  encouraging  in 
regard  to  your  Sister's  health.  She  is  mending  certainly, 
but  still  you  cannot  be  too  careful.  The  climate  is  un- 
favourable and  she  is  delicate,  and  we  have  the  bad  season 
before  us :  warmth  on  the  skin  is  absolutely  indispens- 
able. .  .  . 

Swinburne  has  a  noble  energy.  I  imagine  his  relations 
are  against  him.  What  is  the  Admiral?  They  are  mostly 
Tories.  His  uncle  Lord  Ashburnham  was,  when  young. 
Nelson  was  a  horrid  one.  I  knew  him  both  alive  and  dead. 
I  was  at  his  funeral,  and  stood  next  to  Charles  Fox  in  St 


272 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Paul's ;  and  I  was  afterwards  at  Fox's  funeral,  and  saw  the 
old  Duke  of  Devonshire  crying  as  he  walked  with  Lord 
Carlisle  in  the  procession.  How  old  I  am !  I  was  at 
Hastings's  trial,  and  remember  the  death  of  Louis  XVI. ; 
and  I  remember  every  note,  sung  at  the  theatre,  of  "  How 
stands  the  glass  around,"  by  one  who  performed  General 
Wolfe.    My  early  memory  is  much  stronger  than  later. 

Garibaldi  has  been  arrested.  There  were  mobs  and 
riots,  and  troops  all  night  out, — two  or  three  killed.  All 
quiet  now.  They  say  that  Bonaparte  threatened  to  send 
back  the  French  to  Rome,  the  first  Garibaldian  that  crossed 
the  frontier ;  and  that  Rattazzi  answered  that  the  first 
French  soldier  who  set  his  foot  in  Italy  would  relieve  the 
Italians  from  the  promise  of  non-intervention.  .  .  . — Yours 
sincerely, 

S.  KiRKUP. 


158. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[This  jocular  sonnet  may  pass  for  what  it  is  worth  : 
little  would  be  gained  by  translating  it.  Brown,  I  find, 
had  written  an  Italian  letter  to  Rossetti,  in  which  he  spoke 
of  Mr  Dunn ;  and  taking  that  name  as  if  it  were  "  Done," 
he  translated  it  into  "  Fatto."  Rossetti  replies,  joking  on 
his  friend's  name.  Ford  Mad-ox  Brown,  and  Italianizing  it 
as  "  Guado  Pazzobue  Bruno " ;  and  he  speaks  of  Mr  Dunn 
as  being  a  creditor.  I  suppose  this  is  mostly  a  mere  joke 
upon  the  word  "  dun " ;  though  it  is  quite  possible  that  at 
this  date  Mr  Dunn  was  really  entitled  to  some  salary  as 
yet  unpaid.  I  don't  think  that  in  my  Brother's  time  the 
neat  conundrum  had  been  invented — "  Why  is  a  dun  like 
an  ornithorhynchus  ?  " — "  Because  he  is  a  beast  with  a  bill." 
If  Dante  Gabriel  had  known  of  that  conundrum,  I  should 
have  been  sure  to  hear  it  from  his  mouth  at  one  time  or 
another.] 


F.  T.  PALGRAVE,  1867 


273 


i6  Cheyne  Walk. 
24  October  1867. 

Messer  Dante  a  Messer  Bruno. 

Essendo  pazzo,  il  bue  al  guado  intoppa, 

E  volta  e  sfugge  e  d'acqua  vk  digiuno  : 

E  tu,  pittor,  die  come  lui  sei  Bruno, 
Temendo  un  detto,  dici  cosa  zoppa. 
Acqua  di  guado  no,  ma  vino  in  coppa, 

Domanda  il  labbro  al  timoroso  core 

Dovendo  nominare  il  CREDITORE  ; 
E  manca  il  dir,  ch^  la  paura  h  troppa. 
"  Fatto  "  lo  chiami ;  e  piu  tremendo  fatto 

Che  il  creditore  non  dimostra  il  sole 
Ad  uomo  sano,  ovvero  a  bue  ch'^  matto. 

Impazziti  voltiamo  le  parole 
leroglificamente  in  "gufo"  o  "gatto"  ; 

E  I'uom  non  osa  dir  quel  che  gli  duole. 

Dear  Brown, — Having  finished  my  sonnet  in  a  caviling 
spirit  worthy  of  Italian  correspondence,  I  find  I've  been  too 
sleepy  to  say  I'll  attend  to  your  injunction.  Are  you 
asking  any  friends  not  artists  ;  and,  if  so,  whom  ?  .  .  . — Your 

Gabriel. 


159.— F.  T.  Palgrave  to  William  Rossettl 

[Perhaps  I  need  hardly  explain  that  "Jason"  is  the  poem 
by  William  Morris,  The  Life  and  Death  of  fason?^ 

5  York  Gate. 

25  October  1867. 

Dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  am  delighted  to  see  that  fason 
reached  a  second  edition.  I  heard  very  favourable  things 
about  it  from  A.  Tennyson  (who  came  with  me  for  three 
weeks  last  autumn  into  Devonshire),  but  I  have  seen  no 
other  judge  of  poetry  who  knew  it  except  Woolner.  I  reckon 
much — indeed  more — on  his  Tales ;  because  fason  appears 

s 


274 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


to  me  too  long  and  weak  a  fable  for  effect,  however  skilfully 
treated.  I  had  a  pleasant  two  days'  visit  from  Allingham 
also — whom,  by  the  by,  I  forgot  when  writing  .  .  .  above. — 
Ever  truly  yours, 

F.  T.  Palgrave. 


i6o. — Stauros  Dilberoglue  to  William  Rossettl 

31  Threadneedle  Street. 
29  October  1867. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — In  answer  to  your  kind  communica- 
tion of  yesterday  I  herein  enclose  names  of  the  Committee 
of  the  Candian  Refugees'  Relief-fund.  .  .  . 

Many  thanks  for  Stillman's  paragraphs.  "  L'ultima  che  si 
perde  e  la  speranza  ; "  let  us  hope.  The  funds  of  the  Com- 
mittee are  exhausted,  and  we  now  subscribe,  amongst  our- 
selves, all  we  can  for  monthly  remittances  to  the  women  and 
children  out  of  Crete.  The  ladies  too  have  unhooked-and-eyed 
their  pin-money,  and  are  investing  in  gowns  and  shawls  for 
these  good  creatures.  I  wish  I  could  pray  to  the  Virgin 
Mary  for  them  as  I  did  when  I  was  a  child,  but  now  I 
cannot :  Macbeth  could  not  say  Amen !  After  all,  I  don't 
know  that  knowledge  is  power ;  I  think  feeling  is^  and 
science  perhaps. 

With  kindest  respects  to  your  Mother  and  to  all  of  your 
house,  Japanese  prints  included,  believe  me  in  affection  and 
esteem  yours, 

Stauros  Dilberoglue. 


i6l — Walt  Whitman  to  Moncure  Conway. 

[This  letter  was  sent  on  to  me  by  Mr  Conway,  for  my 
guidance  in  making  the  Selection  from  Whitman's  Poems, 
soon  afterwards  published  by  Mr  Hotten.    The  end  of  the 


WALT  WHITMAN,  1867 


275 


letter  was  at  some  time  cut  off — perhaps  to  serve  as  an 
autograph.] 

Washington. 
I  November  1867. 

Dear  Friend, — My  feeling  and  attitude  about  a  volume 
of  Selections  from  my  Leaves  by  Mr  Rossetti,  for  London 
publication,  are  simply  passive  ones — yet  with  decided  satis- 
faction that,  if  the  job  is  to  be  done,  it  is  to  be  by  such  hands  : 
perhaps  too  good-natured,"  as  you  advise — certainly  not  ill- 
natured.  I  wish  Mr  Rossetti  to  know  that  I  appreciate  his 
appreciation,  realize  his  delicacy  and  honour,  and  warmly 
thank  him  for  his  literary  friendliness.  I  have  no  objection 
to  his  substituting  other  words,  leaving  it  all  to  his  own  tact 
etc.  .  .  .  Briefly,  I  hereby  empower  him  (since  that  seems  to 
be  the  pivotal  affair,  and  since  he  has  the  kindness  to  shape 
his  action  so  much  by  my  wishes, — and  since,  indeed,  the 
sovereignty  of  the  responsibility  is  not  at  all  mine  in  the 
case)  to  make  verbal  changes  of  that  sort  wherever,  for 
reasons  sufficient  to  him,  he  decides  that  they  are  indispens- 
able. I  would  add  that  it  is  a  question  with  me  whether  the 
introductory  essay  or  prose  preface  to  the  first  edition  is 
worth  printing. 

"Calamus"  is  a  common  word  here.  It  is  the  very  large 
and  aromatic  grass,  or  rush,  growing  about  water-ponds  in 
the  valleys :  spears  about  3  feet  high,  often  called  sweet 
flag — grows  all  over  the  Northern  and  Middle  States  (see 
Webster's  large  Dictionary — Calamus,  definition  2).  The 
recherche  or  ethereal  sense  of  the  term,  as  used  in  my  book, 
arises  probably  from  the  actual  calamus  presenting  the 
biggest  and  hardiest  kind  of  spears  of  grass,  and  their  fresh, 
aquatic,  pungent  bouquet. 

I  write  this  to  catch  to-morrow's  steamer  from  New 
York.  It  is  almost  certain  I  shall  think  of  other  things — 
moving  me  to  write  you  further  in  a  week  or  so.  .  .  . 


276 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


162.— Warington  Taylor  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[I  put  here  a  batch  of  letters  from  Mr  Taylor,  the 
Manager  of  the  Morris  Firm.  It  appears  to  me  that  they 
were  probably  written  towards  the  late  Autumn  of  1867, 
but  I  cannot  say  with  any  certainty. — The  name  "  Ned " 
will  be  understood  to  mean  Burne-Jones. — I  am  not  clear 
what  Mr  Taylor  refers  to  as  "  the  decoration  of  the  Palace" 
by  Mr  Webb :  possibly  the  decoration  of  the  Refreshment- 
room  etc.  in  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum.] 

7  Beach  Cottages,  Hastings. 
[?  Autumn  1867.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, — Very,  very  pleased  to  see  your  hand- 
writing ;  such  a  pleasure  during  this  dreary  time  here.  I 
think  now  I  shall  get  through  this  winter.  .  .  . 

The  firm's  affairs  are  consolatory.  The  profits  represent 
I  think  about  28  per  cent,  on  work  done,  a  little  over  ;^3000 
worth  of  work  during  the  year.  After  two  years'  experience 
I  conceive  the  matter  stands  thus  : — 

1.  We  do  about  £2y:)Q  worth  of  windows  in  a  year — 
roughly  stated,  twenty  windows,  all  sizes. 

2.  Considering  this  to  be  the  quantity  of  work  done, 
nothing  but  the  highest  prices  can  pay. 

3.  This  amount  of  work  we  shall  always  get ;  therefore  it 
is  only  loss  of  time  to  do  cheap  work. 

Morris  and  I  never  get  hot  with  one  another  save  on 
the  subject  of  price.  He  is  always  for  a  low  price :  seeing 
the  amount  of  work  we  do,  it  is  absurd.  We  must  have  a 
long  price  ;  and  it  must  be  considered  not  as  so  much  per 
foot,  but  as  so  much  for  a  painting  in  glass.  In  the  manner 
we  now  work — that  is  to  say,  very  finished,  and  with  designs 
containing  twice  or  three  times  as  much  drawing  as  they  did 
three  years  ago — we  ought  never  to  have  less  than  £2,  lOs. 
to  per  foot,  with  the  extra  amount  added  on  to  this  for 
all  new  designs  by  Ned,  Morris,  Webb.     This  is  the  point 


WARINGTON  TAYLOR,  1867 


277 


I  am  always  fighting,  and  have  generally  managed  to  get 
my  own  way  after  a  swear  and  curse.  The  result  we  see. 
Another  point  is  this :  Morris  and  Ned  will  do  no  work 
except  by  driving,  and  you  must  keep  up  the  supply  of 
designs.  Every  design  less  than  we  get  is  so  much  less 
window.  Last  year  I  look  upon  as  very  fortunate  in  this 
line,  for  Ned  did  little  painting,  and  consequently  I  got  an 
unusual  quantity  of  designs  from  him.  But  this  should  be 
considered  the  outside  amount  we  should  ever  get  from  him. 

One  more  thing,  and  I  have  done  with  shop.  I  have  on 
excellent  authority  heard  that  ordinary  firms  like  Lavers 
and  Barraud,  when  they  do  a  window  with  designs  by 
Holiday,  charge  over  £^  per  foot,  nearer  They  pay 

Holiday  ^15  per  figure — a  coloured  cartoon. 

With  reference  to  papers, — the  cutting  of  the  block  for 
our  last  new  paper  (the  branches  of  pomegranate,  orange, 
lemon,  nectarine)  cost  £1^  the  block,  trial-prints  about 
£1.  los.  This  is  all.  You  must  be  careful  to  make  the 
design  "  English  size."  .  .  . 

Very  glad  to  hear  that  your  market  is  good. 

Have  you  been  to  see  Webb's  chef-d'ceiivre,  the  decora- 
tion of  the  Palace?    It  must  be  very  stunning. 

I  hope  to  be  in  town  by  middle  of  March.  Wife  unites 
in  best  wishes. — Yours  ever, 

W.  Taylor. 


163. — WARINGTON  Taylor  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Hastings. 
1  Autumn  1867.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, — Having  commented  on  the  firm's 
affairs  from  the  couleur-de-rose  side,  I  must  give  you  better 
statistics  than  you  have  yet.  If  Webb's  report  to  me  of 
the  meeting  is  correct,  all  I  can  say  is  that  the  whole 
question  has  never  been  looked  at  at  all  in  a  business-like 
point  of  view. 


278 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Last  year  we  did  over  ;{^2000  of  stained  glass.  This 
ought  to  have  given  ;^500  profit  at  least,  i.e.,  25  per  cent. 
On  stained  glass  we  did  not  make  more  than  half  of  this 
amount.  Therefore  stained-glass  business  is  not  satisfactory 
— our  prices  are  plainly  not  high  enough.  If  we  cannot  get 
higher,  then  the  business  is  not  remunerative.  ...  I  consider 
the  balance-sheet  shown  to  you  as  showing  to  the  utmost 
farthing  the  firm's  profits.  If  /  had  made  it,  it  would  have 
been  at  least  ^150  less.    It  was  decidedly  coideiir-de-rose. 

The  large  profit  you  had  put  before  you  was  not  made 
on  stained  glass,  but  on  the  Palace  decorations.  The  whole 
of  that  work  was  done  by  Webb ;  if  Webb  had  been  busy 
with  architecture,  it  could  not  have  been  done.  You  could 
never  depend  upon  such  work  again.  Moreover,  Webb  was 
miserably  paid  for  his  designs.  This  is  no  fault  of  the  firm's, 
for  Webb  would  not  have  more.  He  never  will  charge  above 
a  third  of  what  he  ought  to  charge. 

It  was  settled,  I  believe,  to  divide  profits,  but  you 
apparently  settled  no  amount  to  be  divided.  .  .  .  Then 
there  was  no  sum  settled  for  working  capital. 

As  to  increasing  salaries,  it  won't  bear  what  it  pays  now. 

I  know  well  the  tendency  at  Queen  Square  to  make  life 
comfortable  ;  anything  rather  than  face  death  or  a  fact ; 
hence  the  prosperous  appearance  of  everything.  Morris 
won't  have  any  of  the  sours  of  life — can't  get  him  to  face 
them  at  all. — Yours, 

W.  Taylor. 


164. — Warington  Taylor  to  Dante  Rossettl 

7  Beach  Cottages,  Hastings. 
[?  Autumn  1867.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, — .  .  .  The  amount  of  work  done  in 
'66  was  the  largest  amount  we  have  ever  done.  We  worked 
at  high  pressure  all  through  the  year. 


WARINGTON  TAYLOR,  1867 


279 


We  obtained  the  utmost  quantity  of  design  from  Ned. 

The  work  in  the  shop  never  flagged  for  want  of  design. 

We  did  as  much  work  as  the  shop  could  ever  do,  for 
we  could  not  hope  ever  to  have  more  design  than  last 
year. 

The  whole  year  was  more  or  less  under  my  direct 
superintendence. 

Therefore  the  year  '66  is  complete  as  a  year  to  draw 
conclusions  from.  .  .  . 

Now  after  all  this,  why  is  the  profit  on  stained  glass  so 
small?  All  the  windows  last  year  were  executed  at  what 
we  considered  high  rates.  Yet  our  profits  were  very 
small. 

Of  course  without  the  books  I  cannot  give  you  exact 
figures.  .  .  . 

Of  course  we  should  also  want  capital — a  certain  sum 
left  for  the  present  to  work  with.  This  has  been  always 
my  great  difficulty.  This  has  been  really  the  hard  fight ; 
we  have  never  had  a  ;^ioo  to  call  our  own.  Last  year  you 
see  it  was  all  spent  upon  the  new  premises.  As  to  Morris 
having  his  capital,  keep  him  without  it ;  he  will  only  spend 
it  in  books.  In  about  three  years'  time  it  will  be  of  use 
to  him  for  publishing-purposes :  at  the  present  it  would 
go  in  wine  and  books !!!... 

For  the  present  I  should  advise  you  not  to  be  too 
sanguine.  There  will  be  plenty  of  time  to  see  then  as  to 
the  value  of  my  services.  For  the  present,  my  impression 
is  the  glass  is  still  at  too  low  a  price ;  but  the  point  is, 
will  the  people  pay  more  ?  Would  they  stand  (we  will  say) 
another  ^15  or  £20  on  to  ;^ioo?  That  would  make  a 
difference  on  ;£"2000.  We  do  only  twenty  windows  per 
ann. :  therefore  our  price  must  be  high. — Ever  yours, 

W.  Taylor. 


280 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


165.— Warington  Taylor  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Hastings. 
?  Autumn  1867.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, — .  .  .  You  have  now  digested  the  firm's 
affairs — ^just  kindly  read  my  comments  as  follows  : — 

A  business  of  ;^2000  work  a  year  may  give  a  sufficient 
profit  to  one  person,  but  is  not  large  enough  for  a  company  ; 
and,  in  a  business  doing  so  small  an  amount  of  work,  the 
proprietor  should  be  clerk,  manager,  and  all,  himself  But 
with  us  two  large  salaries  are  taken  out  of  the  ;^50o  profit 
that  ought  to  be:  Morris  ;^I50,  Taylor  £\20  \  and  since  my 
unfortunate  illness  six  months  of  MacShane,  ;^37.  los. 

Our  annual  expenditure,  roughly  stated,  comes  to  quite 

;^I500  out  of  ;^2000. 

Wages  at  £20  per  week  .  .  £\o\o 

Rent,  Rates,  Taxes      ...  70 

Glass     .  .  .  .  .130 

Lead,  coals,  petty  cash,  sundries  .  100 
Designs — Webb 
Ned 

Morris   


I  cannot  give  amount  of  designs  without  books. 

I  am  very  queer  again  ;  perspirations  at  night  and  no 
sleep  are  dragging  me  to  pieces  by  degrees. — Ever  yours, 

W.  Taylor. 


166. — Dante  Rossetti  to  C.  P.  Matthews. 

[Mr  Matthews  (of  the  Brewing-firm  of  Ind,  Coope,  & 
Co.)  had  commissioned  Rossetti,  at  a  large  price,  to  execute 
in  oils  his  design  named  Aspecta  Medusa,    Not  long  after- 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1867 


281 


wards  he  expressed  a  repugnance  to  one  main  constituent 
in  the  design,  the  severed  head  of  Medusa.  Several  letters 
were  interchanged  on  the  subject.  The  final  understanding 
between  the  parties  was  amicable  enough  ;  but  Mr  Matthews 
did  not  carry  out  that  particular  commission,  and  I  question 
whether  he  purchased  any  specimen  of  my  Brother's  work.] 

[i6  Cheyne  Walk. 
?  12  November'  1867.] 

My  dear  Mr  Matthews, — Your  letter  has  given  me 
matter  for  reflection,  which  has  been  the  cause  of  my 
delay  in  answering. 

It  would  greatly  decrease  my  pleasure  in  the  picture 
I  am  engaged  on  for  you  if  I  thought  there  was  an 
unavoidable  feature  in  its  treatment  to  which  you  could 
never  become  reconciled.  Your  consent  to  have  it  on  the 
large  scale,  at  my  wish,  rather  than  on  the  smaller  one 
to  which  you  originally  inclined,  showed  so  much  con- 
sideration, and  your  immediate  consent  to  my  own  terms 
was  so  satisfactory,  that  I  should  feel  greatly  discouraged 
if  I  saw  real  reason  to  fear  that  anything  besides  my  own 
inadequacy,  which  I  would  do  my  best  to  overcome, 
threatened  to  stand  in  the  way  of  your  pleasure  in  the 
work  when  completed.  Though  the  picture  is  not  yet 
fairly  commenced,  nothing  has  been  so  much  in  my  mind 
since  I  received  the  commission  from  you  in  July  last.  I 
have  been  working  towards  it  in  many  preparatory  ways, 
in  none  more  than  in  getting  minor  work  cleared  away 
to  leave  my  mind  free  for  it,  and  the  studies  from  life  for 
it  are  in  progress.  Before  long  I  reckon  on  showing  you 
some  advance  with  them. 

Our  discussion  on  the  question  of  the  Gorgon's  head 
when  I  last  saw  you  was  not  perhaps  entered  on  with 
sufficient  opportunity  for  decision  at  so  immature  a  stage 
of  the  design ;  but  I  had  hoped  that  your  apprehension 
on  the  point  was  nearly,  if  not  quite,  removed.  My  own 
conviction  remains  the  same — that  is,  that  the  head,  treated 
as  a  pure  ideal,  presenting  no  likeness  (as  it  will  not)  to 


282 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  severed  head  of  an  actual  person,  being  moreover  so 
much  in  shadow  (according  to  my  arrangement)  that  no 
painful  ghastliness  of  colour  will  be  apparent,  will  not 
really  possess  when  executed  the  least  degree  of  that 
repugnant  reality  which  might  naturally  suggest  itself  at 
first  consideration.  I  feel  the  utmost  confidence  in  this 
myself,  as  the  kind  of  French  sensational  horror  which 
the  realistic  treatment  of  the  severed  head  would  cause 
is  exactly  the  quality  I  should  most  desire  to  avoid.  The 
subject  does  not  exist  in  any  completely  rendered  form 
that  I  know  of ;  but  there  are  sufficient  slight  representa- 
tions of  it  on  vases  and  in  wall-decoration  of  classic  times 
to  determine  its  exact  treatment  as  including  the  head 
separate,  not  on  the  shield  ;  besides  that,  as  you  say,  the 
latter  treatment  would  in  reality  be  an  anachronism.  This 
last  point  I  should  not  so  much  object  to,  if  I  did  not 
feel  that  the  beauty  of  the  design  would  suffer  greatly, 
and  the  action  of  my  group  would  be  entirely  destroyed, 
by  the  substitution  of  a  shield  for  the  detached  head. 
The  subject  is  one  I  have  fixed  on  for  years  and  much 
desired  to  carry  out,  and  of  which  the  treatment  is  as 
clear  in  my  mind  as  if  it  were  already  done.  No  other 
subject  for  a  large  work  is  so  tempting  to  me  at  this 
moment,  and  the  time  which  has  elapsed  since  I  last 
saw  you  has  enabled  me  to  mature  all  my  ideas  respect- 
ing its  execution,  and  take  various  important  steps 
towards  it.  Thus  nothing  but  the  most  decided  im- 
pression against  it  in  your  mind  would  enable  me  to 
bear  with  (?)  substituting  another  subject  for  this,  in  the 
picture  I  am  to  paint  for  you ;  especially  as  I  feel  so 
confident  of  removing  such  impression,  so  far  as  the 
materials  of  the  subject  are  concerned.  And  this  at  the 
same  time  I  say  with  the  strongest  wish  that  a  commission 
so  liberally  given  should  be  carried  out  to  your  entire 
satisfaction,  quite  as  much  as  to  my  own. 

I  hope,  as  I  say,  to  be  writing  to  you  shortly  to  show 
you  some  of  the  studies,  and  also  some  other  work 
completed.    Meanwhile,  I  should  be  very  glad  of  a  further 


WALT  WHITMAN,  1867  283 

word  from  you  on  a  matter  which  so  much  occupies  my 
mind. 


167. — Walt  Whitman  to  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr  Whitman  was  quite  right  in  assuming  that  I  had 
no  idea  of  bringing  out  "  an  expurgated  edition "  of  his 
poems.  I  selected  such  poems  only  as  could  not,  even  in 
the  opinion  of  the  most  punctilious  persons,  require  any 
expurgation :  from  the  prose  preface  alone  I  omitted  two 
or  three  phrases.  My  volume  did  not  correspond  to  his 
proposal  in  every  minute  detail :  if  I  remember  right,  it 
was  chiefly  in  print  before  I  received  the  present  letter. — 
"  Mr  Burroughs's  Notes "  are  that  able  writer's  Notes  on 
Walt  Wkitinafi  as  Poet  and  Person^ 

Washington. 
22  November  1867. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  suppose  Mr  Conway  has  re- 
ceived, and  you  have  read,  the  letter  I  sent  over  about 
three  weeks  since,  assenting  to  the  substitution  of  other 
words  etc.,  as  proposed  by  you,  in  your  reprint  of  my  book, 
or  selections  therefrom. 

I  suppose  the  reprint  intends  to  avoid  any  expressed 
or  implied  character  of  being  an  expurgated  edition.  I 
hope  it  will  simply  assume  the  form  and  name  of  a  selec- 
tion from  the  various  editions  of  my  pieces  printed  here. 
I  suggest,  in  the  interest  of  that  view,  whether  the  adjoin- 
ing might  not  be  a  good  form  of  title-page : — 

WALT  WHITMAN'S  POEMS 
selected  from  THE  AMERICAN  EDITIONS 

BY 

WM.  M.  ROSSETTI 

I  wish  particularly  not  only  that  the  little  figures  number- 
ing the  stanzas,  but  also  that  the  larger  figures  dividing 


284 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  pieces  into  separate  passages  or  sections,  be  carefully 
followed  and  preserved,  as  in  copy. 

When  I  have  my  next  edition  brought  out  here,  I  shall 
change  the  title  of  the  piece  "  When  lilacs  last  in  the  door- 
yard  bloomed  "  to  President  Lincoln^ s  Funeral-Hymn.  You 
are  at  liberty  to  take  the  latter  name  or  the  old  one,  at 
your  option  (that  is,  if  you  include  the  piece). 

It  is  quite  certain  that  I  shall  add  to  my  next  edition 
(cariying  out  my  plan  from  the  first)  a  brief  cluster  of 
pieces  born  of  thoughts  on  the  deep  themes  of  Death  and 
Immortality. 

Allow  me  to  send  you  an  article  I  have  written  on 
Democracy ;  a  hasty  charcoal-sketch  of  a  piece,  but  indica- 
tive, to  any  one  interested  in  Leaves  of  Grass,  as  of  the 
audience  the  book  supposes,  and  in  whose  interest  it  is 
made.    I  shall  probably  send  it  next  mail. 

Allow  me  also  to  send  you  (as  the  ocean-postage  law 
is  now  so  easy)  a  copy  of  Mr  Burroughs's  Notes,  and  some 
papers.    They  go  same  mail  with  this. 

And  now,  my  dear  Sir,  you  must  just  make  what  use 
(or  no  use  at  all)  of  anything  I  suggest  or  send  as  your 
occasions  call  for.  Very  likely  some  of  my  suggestions 
have  been  anticipated. 

I  remain,  believe  me,  with  friendliest  feelings  and 
wishes, 

Walt  Whitman. 


i68. — A.  B.  Houghton  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  "  illustration  "  here  spoken  of  is  the  able  woodcut- 
design  which  Mr  Houghton  made  for  my  blank-verse 
narrative,  Mrs  Holmes  Grey,  published  in  The  Broadway?^ 

2  King  Henry's  Road. 
3  December  1867. 

Dear  Rossetti, — I  shuddered  when  I  saw  your  note — 
positively.    I  expected  a  ferocious  wigging  for  the  illustra- 


WALT  WHITMAN,  1867 


285 


tion,  and  got  thanks !  Your  notice  of  my  picture  in  The 
Chronicle  was  only  too  kind  —  the  "  grotesque-graceful " 
exactly  expresses  what  I  was  trying  for.  .  .  . — Yours 
faithfully, 

A.  B.  Houghton. 


169. — Walt  Whitman  to  William  Rossetti. 

[I  think  it  will  be  understood  from  what  precedes  that 
my  original  intention  had  been  to  make  a  simple  and  un- 
expurgated  Selection  from  Whitman's  poems :  such  was  my 
object,  and  such  was  the  ultimate  form  of  the  volume. 
But,  consequent  upon  Whitman's  letter  to  Mr  Conway  (No- 
161),  the  project  was  at  one  moment  entertained  of  includ- 
ing in  the  selection,  with  omission  of  certain  phrases  or 
passages,  various  poems  highly  characteristic  of  his  best 
powers.  This  project  proved,  from  the  present  letter,  to  be 
based  on  a  misunderstanding,  and  it  was  at  once  dropped. 
— "  Mr  O'Connor's  pamphlet "  is  The  Good  Grey  Poet.'] 

Washington. 
3  December  1867. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  have  just  received  and  have 
considered  your  letter  of  17  November.  In  order  that 
there  be  the  frankest  understanding  with  respect  to  my 
position,  I  hasten  to  write  you  that  the  authorization  in 
my  letter  of  i  November  to  Mr  Conway,  for  you  to 
make  verbal  alterations,  substitute  words,  etc.,  was  meant 
to  be  construed  as  an  answer  to  the  case  presented  in  Mr 
Conway's  letter  of  12  October.  Mr  Conway  stated  the 
case  of  a  volume  of  selections  in  which  it  had  been  decided 
that  the  poems  reprinted  in  London  should  appear  verbatim, 
and  asking  my  authority  to  change  certain  words  in  the 
Preface  to  first  edition  of  poems  etc. 

I  will  be  candid  with  you  and  say  I  had  not  the 
slightest  idea  of  applying  my  authorization  to  a  reprint  of 


286 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  full  volume  of  my  poems.  As  such  a  volume  was  not 
proposed,  and  as  your  courteous  and  honourable  course 
and  attitude  called  and  call  for  no  niggardly  or  hesitating 
response  from  me,  I  penned  that  authorization,  and  did  not 
feel  to  set  limits  to  it.  But  abstractly  and  standing  alone, 
and  not  read  in  connection  with  Mr  C[onway]'s  letter  of 
12  October,  I  see  now  it  is  far  too  loose,  and  needs  distinct 
guarding. 

I  cannot  and  will  not  consent  of  my  own  volition  to 
countenance  an  expurgated  edition  of  my  pieces.  I  have 
steadily  refused  to  do  so  under  seductive  offers  here  in  my 
own  country,  and  must  not  do  so  in  another  country. 

I  feel  it  due  to  myself  to  write  you  explicitly  thus,  my 
dear  Mr  Rossetti,  though  it  may  seem  harsh  and  perhaps 
ungenerous.  Yet  I  rely  on  you  to  absolve  me  sooner  or 
later.  Could  you  see  Mr  Conway's  letter  of  12  October, 
you  would,  I  think,  more  fully  comprehend  the  integrity  of 
my  explanation. 

I  have  to  add  that  the  points  made  in  that  letter  in 
relation  to  the  proposed  reprint,  as  originally  designed, 
exactly  correspond  with  those  on  the  same  subject  in  your 
own  late  letter  ;  and  that  the  kind  and  appreciative  tone 
of  both  letters  is  in  the  highest  degree  gratifying,  and  is 
most  cordially  and  affectionately  responded  to  by  me ;  and 
that  the  fault  of  sending  so  loose  an  authorization  has 
surely  been,  to  a  large  degree,  my  own. 

And  now,  my  friend,  having  set  myself  right  on  that 
matter,  I  proceed  to  say,  on  the  other  hand,  for  you  and 
for  Mr  Hotten,  that,  if  before  the  arrival  of  this  letter  you 
have  practically  invested  in,  and  accomplished  or  partially 
accomplished,  any  plan,  even  contrary  to  this  letter,  I  do 
not  expect  you  to  abandon  it,  at  loss  of  outlay  etc.,  but 
shall  bond  fide  consider  you  blameless  if  you  let  it  go  on  and 
be  carried  out  as  you  may  have  arranged.  It  is  the  question 
of  the  authorization  of  an  expurgated  edition,  proceeding 
from  me,  that  deepest  engages  me.  The  facts  of  the 
different  ways,  one  way  or  another  way,  in  which  the 
book  may  appear  in  England,  out  of  influences  not  under 


WALT  WHITiMAN,  1867 


287 


the  shelter  of  my  umbrage,  are  of  much  less  importance  to 
me.  After  making  the  foregoing  explanation,  I  shall,  I 
think,  accept  kindly  whatever  happens.  For  I  feel,  indeed 
know,  that  I  am  in  the  hands  of  a  friend,  and  that  my 
pieces  will  receive  that  truest,  brightest  of  light  and  per- 
ception coming  from  love.  In  that,  all  other  and  lesser 
requisites  become  pale. 

It  would  be  better,  in  any  Introduction,  to  make  no 
allusion  to  me  as  authorizing,  or  not  prohibiting,  etc. 

The  whole  affair  is  somewhat  mixed— and  I  write 
off-hand  to  catch  to-morrow's  New  York  steamer.  But  I 
guess  you  will  pick  out  my  meaning.  Perhaps  indeed  Mr 
Hotten  has  preferred  to  go  on  after  the  original  plan — 
which,  if  so,  saves  all  trouble. 

I  have  to  add  that  I  only  wish  you  could  know  how 
deeply  the  beautiful  personal  tone  and  passages  of  your 
letter  of  17  November  have  penetrated  and  touched  me. 
It  is  such  things  that  go  to  our  hearts  and  reward  us, 
and  make  up  for  all  else,  for  years.  Permit  me  to  offer 
you  my  friendship. 

I  sent  you  hence,  23  November,  a  letter  through  Mr 
Conway ;  also  a  copy  of  Mr  Burroughs's  Notes^  Mr 
O'Connor's  pamphlet,  and  some  papers  containing  criticisms 
on  Leaves  of  Grass.  Also,  later,  a  prose  article  of  mine 
named  Democracy,  in  a  Magazine. 

Let  me  know  how  the  work  goes  on,  what  shape  it 
takes,  etc.  Finally,  I  charge  you  to  construe  all  I  have 
written  through  my  declared  and  fervid  realization  of  your 
goodness  toward  me,  nobleness  of  intention,  and  (I  am  fain 
to  hope)  personal,  as  surely  literary  and  moral,  sympathy 
and  attachment. — And  so,  for  the  present,  farewell. 


Walt  Whitman. 


288 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


170. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  passage  of  Italian  quoted  from  my  Father  runs  as 
follows : — "  If  it  happens  to  me  (and  perchance  it  will 
happen)  that  I  must  relinquish  all  thoughts  of  this  world, 
I  shall  order  to  be  sent  on  to  you  the  MSS.  of  the  two 
remaining  Dissertations  of  the  Beatrice  di  Dante^  which  you 
will  keep  as  a  memorial  of  your  sincere  friend." — I  did  not 
receive  from  Barone  Kirkup  the  letters  of  my  Father  which 
he  offered  me  :  I  must  no  doubt  have  replied  that  I  should 
be  pleased  to  get  them,  but  perhaps  not  with  sufficient 
emphasis. — "That  horrible  and  noxious  blackguard"  is  of 
course  Napoleon  III.] 

Florence,  Ponte  Vecchio  2. 
15  December  1867. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — You  and  Trelawny  are  my  only 
congenial  correspondents.  The  rest  are  priest-ridden  Tories, 
vain  and  ignorant.  You  have  a  spice  of  your  Father.  I 
lately  found  above  twenty  of  his  letters  in  an  old  drawer, 
mixed  with  hundreds  of  others.  I  think  they  contain  even 
more  condensed  unanswerable  logic  on  the  subject  of  Dante 
than  even  his  books, — long  letters  for  my  instruction,  me  a 
poor  devil  and  unlettered  drudge  at  painting  potboilers. 
He  talks  of  Trelawny,  Leader,  L[ord]  Vernon,  Lyell,  East- 
lake,  Panizzi,  etc.  ;  of  his  own  failing  health  and  his  journey 
to  Paris  ;  and  much  about  his  Beatrice.  One  letter  (dated 
5  August  1843,  Parigi,  chez  le  Dr  Not,  an  old  friend  of 
mine),  and  which  letter  I  had  lost  for  years  and  lately 
found,  says :  "  Se  mi  accade  (e  forse  accadra)  che  io  debba 
rinunziare  ai  pensieri  di  questo  mondo,  ordiner6  che  sieno 
a  voi  trasmessi  i  manoscritti  de'  due  Ragionamenti  residui 
della  Beatrice  di  Dante^  che  conserverete  come  memoria 
del  vostro  sincere  amico,  G.  Rossetti." 

Poor  dear  friend !  He  forgot  to  ordinare  this  last  wish. 
.  .  .  If  I  was  younger  and  my  eyes  stronger,  I  would  get  by 
heart  his  Misteri  and  his  Beatrice,  and  collect  from  Aroux 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1867 


289 


all  that  is  not  in  those  works,  and  so  glean  something  of  the 
lost  Ragionamenti  which  were  to  be  more  conclusive  than 
the  first.  Even  my  letters  from  him  are  so,  and  I  hope  to 
show  them  to  you  some  day ;  and  you  shall  have  them  if 
you  can  make  any  use  of  them  for  your  Father's  fame.  .  .  . 

I  don't  think  I  differ  from  you  an  iota.  I  always  thought 
that  horrible  and  noxious  blackguard  what  he  now  is — a 
traitor  to  his  own  country,  and  now  to  any  weaker  one, 
Mexico  and  Italy.  He  pocketed  all  Prussia's  affronts — 
and  he  might  have  been  foiled  by  Italy  if  her  government 
had  shown  vigour.  The  arrest  of  Garibaldi,  of  his  stores 
and  ammunition  and  of  so  many  of  his  followers,  spoiled  all, 
and  encouraged  that  blackguard  to  bully,  and  strike  his 
petty  blow  with  two  divisions  only.  Garibaldi  would  have 
taken  Civita  Vecchia  and  Rome  certamly ;  and  the  first 
French  invader  would  have  authorized  the  Galantuomo  to 
send  his  army,  backed  by  the  whole  nation  of  enthusiastic 
volunteers,  and  perhaps  a  threat  from  Prussia,  as  happened 
after  Solferino.  Rattazzi's  was  a  policy  of  fear.  Garibaldi's 
success  was  miraculous  in  spite  of  all  misfortunes,  until  the 
French  reserve  came  up  with  their  Chassepots.  .  .  . 

The  King  and  his  Sons  have  been  brought  up  amidst 
mummery,  humbug,  and  hocuspocus,  and  the  usual  adula- 
tion of  Courts.  What  has  the  people  gained  ?  Equality 
of  religions,  and  civil  marriages  ;  and  they  have  paid  dearly 
for  it.  Taxation  redoubled,  and  threatened  bankruptcy 
(to  my  misfortune),  bad  administration,  bad  generals  and 
admirals,  and  an  exchange  from  German  to  French 
tyranny.  .  .  . 

Garibaldi  has  been  saved  by  a  miracle ;  always  the 
first  to  attack  and  the  last  to  retreat.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  three  of  my  spirits  defended  him,  but  that  is  no 
proof.  He  is  still  to  be  saved  for  better  times.  The 
Brother  of  Tennyson  has  been  writing  to  ask  for  some 
information  about  my  spirits.  He  is  more  of  a  philosopher 
than  a  poet.  He  has  had  some  experience  himself  .  .  . — 
Yours  with  affection, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 

T 


290 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


171.— Dante  Rossetti  to  C.  P.  Matthews. 

[16  Cheyne  Walk.] 
3  Jaiiuary  1868. 

Dear  Mr  Matthews, — The  subject  of  your  letter  requiring 
some  consideration  is  the  cause  of  delay  in  my  reply.  I  may 
now  say  that  on  the  whole  I  think  with  you  our  best  course 
will  be  to  abandon  the  Medusa  subject  for  which  you 
originally  commissioned  me,  and  to  substitute  another. 
When  you  wrote  me  your  objections  some  weeks  ago, 
my  own  great  interest  in  my  design  made  me  sanguine 
as  to  satisfying  you  with  my  work  in  the  end ;  but  since 
then  I  have  not  been  without  misgivings  that,  after  all, 
the  feeling  you  express  might  not  be  removed  by  the 
completed  work ;  and  perhaps  eventually  I  myself  might 
even,  on  this  account,  have  become  the  proposer  of  a 
change  of  subject.  Thus  all  is  well,  as  you  will  agree  with 
me  that  our  joint  assent  was  needed  to  any  change  in  our 
concluded  engagement. 

As  to  the  time  and  trouble  already  devoted  by  me  to 
the  work  in  preparation  and  studies,  and  your  proposal 
to  compensate  me  for  this,  I  need  only  say  that,  as  I  shall 
of  course  continue  the  Medusa  picture  sooner  or  later  on 
my  own  account,  either  on  the  life-scale  or  a  smaller  one, 
the  studies  made  will  still  serve  me,  and  will  also  them- 
selves be  saleable.  This  matter  therefore  need  not  be 
pursued  further. 

The  great  question  remaining  is,  what  subject  can  I 
substitute  for  your  commission  in  place  of  the  Medusa? 
And  here  I  must  speak  like  yourself  with  perfect  frankness. 
I  have  not  any  subject  in  my  mind  which  I  specially  desire 
to  paint  at  this  moment,  which  would  precisely  correspond, 
in  its  amount  of  material  (two  figures),  with  the  Medusa, 
and  so  fall  within  the  same  price  (1500  guineas).  At  the 
same  time,  I  cannot  afford  to  forego  the  commission.  It 
remains  for  me  therefore  to  propose  the  only  alternative 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1868 


201 


by  which  I  can  avoid  being  a  sufferer  in  the  most  painful 
way  by  the  change  of  plan — that  is,  in  having  to  paint 
a  work  which  I  should  not  otherwise  be  doing,  instead  of 
one  which  I  greatly  desire  to  do. 

Among  the  subjects  I  most  wish  to  carry  out  in  my 
lifetime  is  one  of  which  I  already,  some  time  ago,  made 
a  small  water-colour  drawing  which  I  always  regarded  only 
as  a  preparation  for  a  larger  work.  The  subject  is  Dante's 
Dream;  an  incident  taken  from  the  Vita  Nuova  of  the 
poet,  the  autobiographical  record  of  his  early  life  and  love. 
This,  however,  being  a  composition  of  five  figures,  could 
not  be  painted  for  the  same  price  as  the  Medusa.  My 
proposal  is  to  paint  it  for  you  for  2000  guineas,  on  a 
good  scale,  though  not  life-size,  the  extent  of  the  com- 
position precluding  this. 

Though  this  proposal  involves  an  extension  of  com- 
mission, it  would  be  in  fact  of  no  pecuniary  advantage  to 
me,  but  the  reverse ;  except  in  the  one  all-important 
particular,  that  I  should  thus  be  both  complying  with  your 
wish  for  a  change  of  design,  and  at  the  same  time  substitut- 
ing for  one  subject  after  my  own  heart  another  in  which 
I  should  take  equal  delight.  Otherwise,  the  figures  being 
more  than  twice  the  number  of  those  in  the  first  subject, 
I  should  be  taking  on  myself  an  amount  of  labour  much 
more  than  proportionate  to  the  increase  of  price.  I  already 
explained  to  you,  when  we  were  discussing  the  Medusa 
subject,  that  the  size  of  figures  in  a  picture,  whether  that 
of  life  or  less,  made  no  difference  in  the  labour  of  the  work, 
supposing  them  to  be  still  on  a  good  scale. 

The  small  water-colour  of  this  subject  which  I  once 
made  I  have  no  longer ;  but,  in  case  of  your  entertaining 
the  proposal,  I  would  show  you  very  shortly  a  sketch  of 
the  composition,  and  would  put  the  work  in  hand  (in  case 
of  our  agreeing  upon  it)  at  the  outset  of  this  New  Year 
without  further  delay. 


292 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


172.— Dante  Rossetti  to  C.  P.  Matthews. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
7  January  1868. 

Dear  Mr  Matthews, — I  cannot  disguise  from  you  that 
your  last  letter  causes  me  great  disappointment,  which  I 
feel  sure  you  will  not  consider  unreasonable  on  considering 
the  course  of  events.  After  much  careful  preparation,  during 
some  months,  for  a  work  on  which  I  built  the  greatest 
hopes,  and  the  nature  of  which  was  so  fixed  that  change 
seemed  out  of  the  question,  I  nevertheless  felt  it  necessary 
to  admit  the  force  of  an  unconquerable  objection  coming 
thus  late  from  you,  since,  if  the  work  failed  to  please  you 
at  last,  it  could  not  but  leave  a  painful  regret  with  me. 
However,  the  substitution  which  you  now  suggest  of  small 
and  comparatively  casual  works  to  the  amount  of  the 
commission,  instead  of  the  one  serious  work,  would  destroy 
all  the  pleasure,  and  (in  the  higher  sense)  all  the  advantage, 
which  I  had  promised  myself  from  executing  your  order 
in  its  original  form.  In  saying  this,  I  speak  without  reserve, 
as  you  have  rightly  done,  regarding  an  agreement  which 
your  wishes  make  it  necessary  we  should  modify,  but  in 
which  my  own  interests  are  also  greatly  at  stake. 

When  I  proposed  the  Dante  subject  in  my  last  letter, 
I  thought  that  probably — considering  what  you  had  said  as 
to  compensation  for  my  trouble  till  now  with  the  work 
which  (though  I  felt  a  difficulty  in  charging  for  it)  has  been 
in  many  ways  very  considerable,  and  most  of  all  as  regards 
the  discouragement  of  the  present  change — you  would  not 
object  to  an  extension  of  commission.  This  in  fact  involved 
no  advantage  to  me,  except  that  of  painting  a  second  subject 
I  greatly  desire  to  paint  in  lieu  of  the  first,  rather  than 
having  to  seek  something  as  a  mere  substitute :  otherwise, 
as  I  said,  the  new  plan  was  less  advantageous  to  me  than 
the  old  one. 

As  to  the  price  fixed  for  the  Medusa^  I  perfectly  recollect 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1868 


293 


my  first  saying  that  if  possible  I  would  paint  it  for  1200 
guineas,  though  1 500  was  the  limit  which  I  thought  might 
be  reached  ;  but  in  answer  to  this  you  very  liberally  said 
that  in  that  case  you  should  wish  the  larger  sum  to  be 
fixed  at  once  between  us,  that  so  I  might  have  full  scope  in 
carrying  out  the  work.  I  am  not  sure  whether  our  friend 
Halliday  was  present  at  this  part  of  our  conversation ;  but 
I  feel  confident,  without  now  asking  him,  that  you  would 
find  his  impression  (derived  either  from  his  being  present, 
or  from  his  talk  with  you  on  the  subject  at  Havering  that 
evening  or  shortly  afterwards)  to  be  the  same  as  my  own. 

It  has  struck  me  that  you  may  have  been  led  to  think 
it  possible,  from  the  months  which  have  elapsed  since  the 
commission  was  given,  that  the  execution  of  an  important 
work  would  in  my  hands  be  prolonged  indefinitely.  To 
this  I  should  reply  that  many  preparations  and  various 
studies  have  been  made  by  me  for  the  Medusa  since  it 
was  first  ordered ;  and  that  the  only  reason  why  I  have 
as  yet  shown  you  nothing  was  my  great  desire  that  what 
you  first  saw  should  leave  the  best  possible  impression. 
With  the  substituted  subject,  I  would  now  fix  a  precise 
longest  date  for  the  delivery  of  the  work,  if  that  seemed 
desirable  to  you. 

I  have  now  to  make  a  fresh  offer  regarding  the  Dante 
design,  which  you  say  in  itself  would,  you  believe,  thoroughly 
please  you.  This  is,  to  paint  it  on  such  a  reduced  scale  as 
to  size  (which  of  course  should  still  be  not  unimportantly 
small),  and,  so  far  as  possible  with  justice  to  the  work, 
reducing  the  labour  throughout,  as  would  enable  me  to 
execute  it  for  1500  guineas.  The  picture,  you  may  rely, 
should  still  be  my  best,  though  smaller  than  I  should  have 
wished  to  make  it.  This  offer  may  I  trust  prove  satisfactory 
to  you,  both  as  to  subject,  scale,  and  price ;  as  it  seems 
now  to  correspond  both  with  the  original  commission  and 
with  your  requirements  since.  In  making  it,  I  accept  all 
the  onus  of  the  change  of  plan,  in  respect  of  time  already 
spent  and  of  sacrifice  in  some  respects  as  regards  the  new 
work ;  but  this  I  shall  be  content  to  do  if  I  can  both  satisfy 


294 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


myself  with  the  nature  of  the  work  and  please  you  with 
its  result. 

One  point  of  difficulty  under  which  I  labour,  as  regards 
a  change,  I  have  not  yet  mentioned.  That  is,  the  degree 
of  discredit  for  an  artist  which  attaches  to  the  subject  of  a 
commission  being  altered.  During  the  time  I  have  been 
getting  the  Medusa  in  hand,  my  work  and  the  fact  of  its 
being  commissioned  have  of  course  become  known  to 
various  frequenters  of  my  studio,  and  have  been  reported 
pretty  widely ;  and  the  unavoidable  consequence  that,  when 
I  resume  the  work,  I  shall  have  to  offer  it  to  some  one  who 
will  probably  know  it  was  originally  ordered  in  another 
quarter,  is  not  the  least  inconvenient  feature  of  my  position. 
In  spite  of  this  and  other  difficulties,  I  assented  to  your 
request  that  our  original  subject  might  be  withdrawn,  and 
have  also  used  my  endeavour  to  meet  your  further  views. 
This  being  so,  I  feel  assured,  remembering  the  spirit  in 
which  the  commission  was  first  given,  you  will  think  with 
me  that  my  own  preferences  now  in  their  turn  claim 
consideration. 

I  regret  troubling  you  again  with  so  long  a  letter,  but 
could  not  manage  to  express  myself  more  briefly.  I  shall 
be  very  glad  to  receive  a  visit  from  you  at  any  time,  and 
remain,  dear  Mr  Matthews,  yours  very  truly, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


173.— Dante  Rossetti  to  C.  P.  Matthews. 

[16  Cheyne  Walk.] 
9  Ja7tuary  1868. 

Dear  Sir, — Pray  acquit  me  at  once  of  all  intention  to 
"  tie  you  down  hand  and  foot "  to  any  plans  whatever. 
There  are  points  of  expression  in  your  present  letter  which 
have  given  me  too  much  pain  for  me  to  wish  to  comment  on 
them  at  all    I  will  merely  say  that,  whether  or  not  I  could 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  295 

have  courage  to  paint  large  pictures  on  speculation,  I  have 
too  much  self-respect  to  have  any  dealings  as  an  artist, 
except  on  a  footing  of  mutual  confidence.  This  being  the 
case,  I  must  now  decline  at  once  to  paint  you  any  picture 
at  all. — I  am,  dear  sir,  yours  faithfully, 

D,  G.  ROSSETTI. 


174. — Dante  Rossetti  to  C.  P.  Matthews. 

[With  this  letter  the  Matthews  correspondence  came,  I 
think,  to  a  close ;  but  Mr  Matthews  and  Rossetti  met  at 
least  once  afterwards. — Mr  Michael  F.  Halliday,  the  semi- 
professional  painter,  had  been  the  first  introducer  of  this 
gentleman  to  my  Brother's  studio,  and,  in  the  points  where 
the  two  men  had  been  at  variance,  he  heartily  upheld  my 
Brother's  view.] 

[16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
January  1868.] 

I  have  seen  Halliday,  and  need  only  say,  after  all  he  tells 
me,  that  I  shall  be  as  happy  as  ever  to  see  you  again  at  any 
time,  or  to  hear  from  you.  As  regards  pictures  (should  you 
wish  to  renew  that  subject),  I  would  carry  out  either  of  the 
proposals  made  by  me,  or  else  the  original  one.  Should  I  see 
you,  you  will  agree  with  me  heartily,  I  know,  that  we  need 
not  talk  of  past  misconceptions. 


175. — William  Rossetti — Diary. 

1868.  Friday,  10  January. — Gabriel  ...  is  now  writing 
to  the  Secretary  etc.  of  the  Leeds  Exhibition,  objecting  to 
the  request  which  Miss  Heaton  tells  him  has  been  made  for 
a  picture  by  him  in  her  possession  to  be  contributed.  He 
has  every  reason  to  remonstrate  against  this,  as,  in  conse- 


296 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


quence  of  some  previous  correspondence,  he  was  distinctly 
informed  that  no  pictures  of  his  would  be  solicited  nor  even 
accepted.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  i6  January. —  .  .  .  The  Secretary  of  the  Leeds 
Exhibition  states  to  Gabriel  that  his  objection  to  the  hanging 
there  of  any  of  his  pictures  will  be  attended  to.  G[abriel] 
says  that  Patmore  told  him  once  (as  if  he  had  reason  to 
know  it  for  certain)  that  the  mystery  about  Geraldine  in 
Coleridge's  Christabel  is  that  she  is  in  reality  a  man  ;  and 
Coleridge  found  this  incident  so  embarrassing  to  the  con- 
tinuation of  his  poem  that  he  abandoned  it.  G[abriel]  has 
written  a  sonnet  for  his  Venus  picture.  .  .  . 

Friday,  17  January. — Dined  at  Stephens's  with  Hunt 
The  latter  has  been  solicited  lately  by  Millais  to  stand  for 
A.R.A.  He  consulted  Brown  about  the  matter  the  other 
day,  and  seems  now  to  have  made  up  his  mind  not  to  stand 
on  this  or  any  future  occasion.  .  .  . 

TJiursday,  23  January. — Gabriel  has  made  one  or  two 
studies  for  a  projected  picture  of  La  Pia,  for  which  Mrs 
Morris  has  engaged  to  sit.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  26  January. — Dilberoglue  called.  .  .  .  He  says  that 
he  once  attended  a  private  reading  by  Emerson  of  his  lecture 
on  Plato,  and  received  a  chilling  impression — E[merson] 
being  altogether  impersonal — as  if  he  had  none  but  an 
intellectual  relation  to  his  subject,  and  scarcely  so  much  as 
that  to  his  hearers.*  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  28  January. — My  Mrs  Holmes  Grey  out  in  The 
Broadway.  .  .  . 

TJmrsday,  30  January. — Resumed  some  of  the  work  on 
the  selection  of  Artists'  Opinions  upon  Art. 

Friday,  31  January. — Matthews  called  on  Gabriel  to-day, 
and  the  breach  between  them  is  healed.  M[atthews]  did 
not  however  say  anything  definite  about  a  commission :  from 
the  statement  of  Halliday,  who  called  in  the  evening,  it 
appears  that  M[atthews]  has  really  no  convenient  space  for 

^  I  myself  heard  Emerson  lecture  in  or  about  1848,  and  received 
something  of  the  same  impression,  yet  not  strongly.  The  lectures  were, 
I  think,  those  on  wShakespear  and  on  Napoleon, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868 


297 


a  decidedly  large  picture,  and  would  like  instead  various 
pictures  of  about  the  size  of  the  Lilith.  H[alliday]  says  that 
Millais's  two  eldest  boys,  very  nice  boys  but  not  showing 
any  appreciable  artistic  tendency,  are  just  about  to  pass 
through  some  tutoring  as  a  preliminary  to  going  to  Harrow : 
the  eldest  is  about  eleven.  Millais  was  showing  the  other 
day  the  various  medals  he  has  received — either  nine  or 
eleven  in  number.  .  .  . 

Monday,  3  February. — Gabriel  sent  us  round  his  life-sized 
oil-portrait  of  Mamma.*  Swinburne  having  written  me  a 
superfluously  enthusiastic  letter  about  my  Mrs  H\olmes\  Grey, 
urging  me  to  continue  writing  poetry,  I  asked  G[abriel]  what 
line  of  poetry  he  would  think  me  best  adapted  for ;  and  his 
advice  is  to  go  on  on  the  same  tack  as  in  that  performance. 

Tuesday,  4  February. — Hotten  tells  me  that  the  Whit- 
man Selection  is  to  be  out  to-morrow.  Dined  at  Scott's 
with  Howell,  Conway,  etc.  H[owell]  told  us  a  strange  story 
of  Ruskin's  having  just  lately  given  a  cheque  to  a  Mr  Calvert 
for  £^600  for  minerals  which  he  had  never  seen,  and  which 
finally  turned  out  to  be  non-existent.  The  cheque  was  dated 
forward  for  8  February ;  and  Howell,  having  met  Calvert  at 
Ellis  the  bookseller's,  unravelled  the  plot,  and  stopped  pay- 
ment. Whether  further  complications  will  ensue  remains 
to  be  seen.  Alfred  Hunt  talked  to  me  about  the  immense 
difference  between  pure  landscape,  such  as  he  aims  after,  and 
in  which  everything  has  to  be  done  by  relations  of  distance 
and  light  etc.,  and  such  landscape  as  that  of  Mason  or  Hook, 
where  the  prominence  given  to  figures  fills-up  space,  and 
thus  saves  some  of  the  greatest  difficulties.  Jones,  who 
came  in  late,  has  been  of  late,  and  still  is,  much  troubled  by 
sleeplessness,  and  has  intermitted  work  altogether.  Conway 
says  that  the  letter  lately  addressed  to  me  by  Whitman  is 
considerably  the  most  interesting  of  his  letters  he  has  seen 
anywhere.  .  .  . 

Friday,  7  February. —  .  .  .  Christina  consulted  Dr  Jenner 
to-day.  He  examined  her  with  the  stethoscope,  and  pro- 
nounces that  she  has  congestion  of  one  lung,  but  certainly  not 
Now  in  my  possession, 


298 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


consumption  ;  that  her  life  may  be  prolonged  indefinitely, 
but  she  must  not  relax  in  the  precautions  she  has  been 
taking  of  late  years.  .  .  .  Aunt  Charlotte,  up  yesterday  from 
Muntham,  has  brought  some  photographs  from  designs  of 
children  by  a  young  man  in  a  decline — a  weaver,  I  think, 
and  wholly  untrained  in  art.*  They  are  the  most  surprising 
specimens  from  such  a  hand  I  recollect  ever  to  have  seen, 
being  most  excellent  in  style  and  realized  expression.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  1 1  February. — Called  on  Hunt  to  see  his  picture 
of  Isabella  and  the  Pot  of  Basil;  a  work  somewhat  deficient  on 
the  side  of  delicacy  of  beauty,  but  eminently  fine  and  able. 
He  is  doing,  for  his  little  boy,  portraits  of  himself  and  Mrs 
Waugh  (and  I  think  others  are  to  come) — very  forcible  (not 
as  yet  softened  down),  and  painted  with  brushes  of  great 
length,  so  that  he  stands  a  good  way  off  the  canvas,  and  finds 
he  can  thus  give  features  better  as  a  general  whole.  We  got 
Scott  to  come  out  and  dine  with  us  at  St  James's  Restaurant. 
Hunt  (with  Tebbs  etc.)  went  lately  to  a  spiritual  seance  at 
Mrs  Guppy's.  The  principal  thing  was  the  production 
(apparently  on  the  spot  and  in  a  very  short  time,  but  in 
total  darkness)  of  two  drawings,  of  a  griffin,  bird,  and  angel 
— and  of  a  crane,  sea,  etc.  H[unt]  says  these  were  certainly 
good  performances  up  to  a  certain  point — would  have  done 
credit  to  a  very  clever  and  competent  amateur ;  and  the  short 
time  of  their  production  (if  really  thus  produced)  beyond 
what  he  can  account  fior. 

Wednesday,  12  February. — Went  to  see  at  Christie's 
Windus's  f  pictures,  to  be  sold  in  a  day  or  two  ;  Millais's 
Isabella,  Gabriel's  Lucrezia  Borgia,  etc.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  13  February. — Some  friends  in  the  evening  at 
Euston  Square :  Browning  one  of  them,  looking  exceedingly 
well,  and  behaving  most  cordially  and  affably.  He  says  he 
gets  up  daily  at  6  (or  5,  I  am  not  sure  which),  and  sits 
without  a  fire  till  8  or  so.  His  new  edition,  now  just  com- 
ing out,  is  on  a  strictly  chronological  scheme :  he  says  that 

*  Warwick  Brookes— but  this  account  of  him  is  not  correct :  see  the 
entry  for  25  February. 

t  Windus  of  Tottenham, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI—DIARY,  1868  299 


he  finds  the  heavier  works,  such  as  dramas,  read  much  the 
most  agreeably  thus  arranged.  Pauline  is  included  in  the 
edition,  in  consequence  of  his  having  received  a  letter  from 
somebody*  who  professes  a  great  enthusiasm  for  the  un- 
acknowledged works  of  distinguished  authors,  and  who  con- 
templated publishing  some  considerable  part  of  P\iiuline\ 
in  some  form — so  B[rowning]  found  the  best  thing  to  do 
would  be  to  take  the  affair  into  his  own  hands,  and  re- 
publish the  whole  poem  with  proper  press-corrections — not 
any  re-writing,  which  he  objects  to.  His  great  new  poem 
ought  to  be  out  towards  July,  through  Smith  and  Elder : 
he  has  left  Chapman  and  Hall,  finding  them  unmanageably 
careless.  He  describes  the  general  quality  of  the  poem  as 
the  same  transaction  seen  from  a  number  of  differing  points 
of  view,  or  glimpses  in  a  mirror.  I  find  he  has  seen  what 
I  wrote  about  him  in  the  Swinburne  pamphlet,  as  he  made 
a  most  good-humoured  reference  to  the  passage  about  his 
eyes.f  He  liked  Stillman's  Cretan  wine ;  and  this  led  to 
my  talking  about  S[tillman]  to  Miss  Browning,  whom  I 
find  to  be  a  warm  friend  of  his  :  she  especially  charged  me 
to  send  S[tillman]  her  love  (and  to  his  Wife  also)  J  when 
next  I  write.  Browning  expresses  (as  I  had  before  been 
told)  a  very  high  opinion  of  Morris's  Jason.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  i6  Febmary.S&nt  Pollen  some  particulars  for 
his  Art-Catalogue  § — also  a  note  or  two  to  Notes  and 
Queries ;  and  began  for  the  latter  an  article  (which  will  be 
of  some  length  if  carried  as  far  as  I  incline)  on  emenda- 
tions etc.  to  Shelley.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  19  February. — Gabriel  says  that  the  pictures 
in  Windus's  sale  sold  badly  for  the  most  part.  His  own 
Lucrezia  Borgia  was  carried  on  to  ^70  (by  pre-arrangement 

^  I  fancy  this  was  Mr  R.  Herne  Shepherd. 

t  There  was  a  marked  peculiarity  in  Browning's  eyes — one  of  them 
long-sighted,  the  other  short-sighted.  To  this,  as  illustrating  the  quality 
of  his  mind,  I  had  made  some  reference  in  my  pamphlet. 

\  The  first  Mrs  Stillman,  an  American,  whose  life  closed  in  Crete  not 
long  afterwards. 

§  Mr  John  Hungerford  Pollen  was  then  compiling,  for  the  Department 
of  Science  and  Art,  an  Universal  Catalogue,  of  Books  on  Art, 


300 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


with  Howell);  Fuseli's  Lycidas,  £16.  i6s.,  and  Nightmare, 
about  £1  ;  two  excellent  early  Inchbolds  £\2  and  £\o  or 
thereabouts.  Millais's  Isabella  fetched  ^^400,  and  Wander- 
ing Thoughts  £100.  Howell  says  that  Calvert  is  taking 
legal  proceedings  against  Ruskin  for  conspiracy,  but  H[owell] 
himself  is  not  made  a  party  in  the  cause.  R[uskin]  pro- 
poses to  defend  himself  in  person.  Cruikshank  is  as  usual 
in  hot  water,  or  hotter  than  ever.  He  has  (as  he  informs 
Howell)  advanced  to  his  Havelock  Rifle-Corps  £yoo ;  .  .  . 
and  now,  with  all  the  rows  in  the  Corps,  and  objections 
raised  to  certain  items  of  these  expenses,  he  fears  he  will 
never  be  reimbursed.  Then  he  received  from  Teetotallers 
£;^6oo  to  keep  him  going  while  painting  The  Worship  of 
Bacchus,  in  expectation  of  large  returns  from  that  work. 
The  thing  was  a  failure.  The  Teetotallers  got  him  to 
pledge  with  Attenborough  for  ;^500  his  other  works  ex- 
hibited along  with  the  Bacchus,  and  the  interest  has  been 
duly  paid  up  to  January  next.  Meanwhile  the  Trustees  of 
Mrs  Cruikshank's  prospective  income  had  been  advancing 
money  to  C[ruikshank]  on  the  faith  of  his  having  these 
works  on  his  own  hands.  The  Teetotallers  now  want  to 
send  the  Bacchus,  and  the  stock  of  engravings  from  it, 
over  to  America,  to  be  there  touted  and  lectured  about : 
but  Cruikshank  objects  to  this  on  account  of  the  affair 
with  his  Wife's  Trustees ;  and  Howell,  who  has  obtained 
possession  of  the  pawn  -  duplicates,  refuses  to  sanction 
it.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  25  February. — Gabriel  has  sold  his  old  cartoon- 
set  from  The  Parable  of  tJie  Vineyard  to  a  Manchester 
man*  for  ;^ioo.  He  has  purchased  through  Shields  a  set 
of  the  photographed  sketches  by  Warwick  Brookes.  He  is 
not  a  weaver  (see  7th  February)  but  a  pattern-designer, 
long  accustomed  to  solace  his  leisure  by  sketching  in  this 
way,  but  never  able  to  lay  aside  the  routine  of  his  business. 
His  age  is  near  fifty,  and  he  has  six  children :  has  now 
been  disabled  by  illness  for  a  long  while,  and  has  little  or 
no  dependence  except  from  the  sale  of  these  photographs. 

Mr  Johnson, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  301 


A  set  of  31  costs  £4.  They  are  not  all  so  good  as  those 
which  I  saw  in  the  first  instance.  .  .  . 

Friday,  28  Februaiy. — In  the  evening  of  yesterday  a 
man  was  found  on  the  roof  of  16  Cheyne  Walk.  On  being 
spoken  to,  he  made  off,  but  was  found  in  the  cellars  of  the 
late  Don  Saltero's  Tavern,  and  given  in  charge.  On  the 
pleading  of  his  Wife  however  Gabriel  abstained  from 
taking  any  further  steps  against  him,  and  he  was  discharged. 
It  is  now  found  that  he  had  been  plundering  the  lead  off 
the  roof:  a  policeman  estimates  that  he  must  have  carried 
away  some  £10  worth.  He  is  a  workman  in  the  employ 
of  Clark,  who  is  the  builder  at  Don  Saltero's.  G[abriel] 
intends  to  speak  to  the  landlord's  agent,  Mr  Ambler,  about 
it ;  but  will  probably  go  no  further.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  4  March. — A  large  party  at  Jones's  new 
house,  the  Grange,  North  End,  Fulham,  which  I  see  for 
the  first  time.  Swinburne  says  that  his  writing  in  The 
Fortjtightly  Review  has  come  to  a  stand  for  the  present. 
Payment  for  his  Halt  before  Rome,  Baudelaire,  and  another 
poem,  being  outstanding,  the  FortnigJuly  people  sent  him 
£\2  for  the  latter  two,  not  as  yet  settling  at  all  for  the 
first.  He  considers  this  £12  altogether  below  the  mark; 
wrote  about  the  matter  more  than  a  month  ago,  and  has 
as  yet  received  no  reply.  Hunt  looked  in  at  the  party, 
looking  very  worn  and  ill,  I  am  sorry  to  say :  it  seems  his 
Doctor  now  pronounces  the  illness  to  be  not  asthma  (as 
at  first  said)  but  a  recurrence  of  his  agueish  malady.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  8  March. — Finished  my  notes  on  Shelley  for 
N\otes\  and  Q\iieries\.  .  .  . 

Monday,  9  March. — Dined  with  the  Waughs  and  Hunt. 
H[unt]  is  looking  decidedly  less  bad  than  the  other  day : 
he  is  taking  tonics  seven  times  a  day,  and  (under  the 
Doctor's  advice)  eating  meat  separate  from  any  bread  or 
vegetables.  He  would  not  wish  his  boy  (who  had  gone  to 
bed  before  my  arrival)  to  be  an  artist — rather  perhaps  a 
traveller  with  a  purpose.  .  .  . 

Friday,  13  March. — Gabriel  is  painting  an  entirely  new 
figure  of  Lucrezia  Borgia  into  his  old  water-colour  of  that 


302 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


subject  sold  recently  at  Christie's.  Morris  and  his  Wife 
came  to  Chelsea,  to  remain  there  some  few  days — Mrs 
M[orris]  having  consented  to  sit  to  G[abriel]  for  a  figure 
of  La  Pia  which  he  means  to  paint.  Howell  says  that 
Calvert  appears  now  to  have  dropped  his  action  against 
Ruskin  for  conspiracy ;  and  R[uskin]  is  prosecuting  him 
for  attempting  to  obtain  money  under  false  pretences.  The 
object  is  to  coerce  C[alvert]  into  giving  up  the  cheque, 
which,  though  cancelled,  still  remains  in  his  hands :  if 
this  is  attained,  the  prosecution  would  be  dropped.  .  .  . 

Siinday^  15  March. — Browning  called.  He  greatly 
deprecates  the  publication  by  Tennyson  of  the  trifling 
affairs  which  are  now  appearing  in  Good  Words  and  Once 
a  Week  etc.  :  he  says  that  T[ennyson]'s  books  are  declining 
in  sale  within  this  year  or  two  (perhaps  the  influence  of 
Swinburne).  Browning's  forthcoming  poem  exceeds  20,000 
lines  :  it  may  probably  be  out  in  July,  but  he  would  defer 
it  if  he  finds  that  more  conducive  to  the  satisfactory  com- 
pletion of  the  work.  He  began  it  in  October  '64.  Was 
staying  at  Bayonne,  and  walked  out  to  a  mountain-gorge 
traditionally  said  to  have  been  cut  or  kicked  out  by  Roland, 
and  there  laid  out  the  full  plan  of  his  twelve  cantos, 
accurately  carried  out  in  the  execution.  He  says  he 
writes  day  by  day  on  a  regular  systematic  plan — some 
three  hours  in  the  early  part  of  the  day :  he  seldom  or 
never,  unless  in  quite  brief  poems,  feels  the  inspiring 
impulse  and  sets  the  thing  down  into  words  at  the  same 
time — often  stores-up  a  subject  long  before  he  writes  it. 
He  has  written  his  forthcoming  work  all  consecutively — 
not  some  of  the  later  parts  before  the  earlier.  His  Son 
is  entered  at  Balliol  College,  Oxford.  He  talked  a  good 
deal  about  his  owl,  which  is  most  intelligent.  It  will  kiss 
him  gently  all  over  the  face  with  its  beak,  tweak  his 
hair,  etc.,  and,  if  one  says  "  Poor  old  fellow ! "  or  so  in 
a  commiserating  voice,  it  puts  on  a  sympathetic  appearance 
of  depression. 

Tuesday^  17  March. — Leyland  brought  round  to  Chelsea 
a  Mr  Hamilton,  partner  of  Graham,  M.P.  for  Glasgow : 


WiLLlAM  tlO^SETTi— DIARY,  1868 


303 


the  latter,  it  seems,  is  an  intense  admirer  of  the  stronger 
or  more  ideal  forms  of  Praeraphaelitism,  as  represented 
by  Hunt,  Gabriel,  Jones,  etc.  Hamilton  bought  for  ;^300 
a  water-colour  copy,  on  a  goodish  scale  of  size,  of  the 
Venus  picture.  I  find  that  Morris  takes  much  more  interest 
in  politics  than  I  had  any  notion  of,  and  that  his  views 
are  quite  in  harmony  with  the  democratic  sympathies  of 
Jones,  Swinburne,  myself,  etc. 

Wednesday^  i8  Mmxh. — Lyster  tells  me  that  last  night  at 
the  Anthropological  Society  a  discussion  arose  as  to  the 
races  now  in  America,  and  the  view  was  maintained  that 
they  had  no  distinctive  originating  powers,  as  e.g.  in  poetry. 
On  this  Swinburne  spoke  to  the  contrary,  citing  Poe 
(and  I  should  presume  Whitman,  though  Lyster  doesn't 
say  so).  .  .  . 

Saturday^  28  March. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  says  that  Howell 
has  told  him  the  details  of  Ruskin's  present  love-affair.* 
The  lady  is  named  Rosey — G[abriel]  forgets  the  surname. 
She  is  a  very  handsome  girl  of  nineteen,  of  considerable 
fortune  ;  and  her  affection  was  roused  towards  Ruskin  by 
her  learning  at  full  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  his  first 
marriage.  She  is  in  love  with  him,  and  he  with  her : 
but  her  parents  interpose  objections,  and  she  is  at  present 
precluded  from  corresponding  with  R[uskin].  .  .  . 

Sunday,  5  April. — Mrs  Polydoref  called.  She  does  not 
believe  that  there  is  real  extreme  misery  prevailing  in  any 
part  of  the  Southern  vStates.  Her  Brothers  were  offered 
by  the  Confederate  States  the  option  of  serving  (in  one 
of  the  auxiliary  departments  of  the  army,  as  it  turned 
out)  or  of  being  deported.  They  chose  the  former.  The 
same  option  was  offered  to  all  non-nationalized  residents 
generally.    She  has  gone  through  any  number  of  singular 

This  is  a  matter  which  I  should  regard  as  not  publishable,  were 
it  not  that  Mr  Collingwood,  in  his  Life  and  Work  of  fohn  Ruskin,  has 
referred  to  it  explicitly,  though  briefly. 

t  The  Wife  of  my  Uncle  Henry  Francis  Polydore.  She  had  for 
some  years  lived  apart  from  her  Husband,  and  had  settled  in  the 
United  States,  but  was  now  temporarily  in  London. 


304 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


adventures.  At  one  time  was  near  being  exchanged  to 
an  Indian  for  a  horse,  as  his  squaw  ;  and  she  actually  some 
years  ago,  on  hearing  of  her  Father's  illness  or  distress, 
came  from  Salt  Lake  to  Liverpool,  having  in  her  pocket 
at  starting  only  three  dollars,  and  not  spending  any  of  it 
on  the  way. 

Monday,  6  ApriL — Discussed  with  Gabriel  the  spiritual 
seance  of  Wednesday  last.*  He  agrees  with  me  that  there 
was  nothing  in  it  which  could  reasonably  be  called  con- 
vincing— unless  possibly  the  affair  of  the  mysterious  light 
seen  by  Mrs  Morris  as  well  as  others. 

Tuesday^  7  April. — Mr  Graham,  M.P.,  who  has  lately 
taken  to  picture-buying,  called  on  Gabriel.  He  felt  inclined 
to  have  the  Dream  of  Beatrice' s  Death  done  in  oil :  G[abriel] 
proposed  ;^2000  for  it,  which  Mr  G[raham]  said  was  beyond 
what  he  contemplated.  However,  he  wished  to  pay  Gabriel 
at  once  ^^500  on  account  for  any  picture  which  G[abriel] 
might  execute  for  him.  This  Gabriel  declined,  failing  some 
distinct  engagement  on  his  own  part ;  but  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  he  wrote  to  Mr  G[raham]  expressing  himself 
willing  to  do  the  Beatrice  subject  for  ^1500.  He  is 
particularly  taken  by  Mr  G[raham]'s  demeanour  and 
proposals.  .  .  . 

Monday,  13  April.  .  .  .  Showed  Gabriel  the  photographs 
sent  me  by  Scudder  after  designs  {^Piper  of  Hamelin,  etc.) 
by  La  Farge :  he  was  much  pleased  with  them,  and  took 
them  off  to  show  to  Brown.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  16  April. — Hunt's  exhibition  of  his  Isabella 
opened.  Robertson  f  is  acting  as  a  sort  of  custodian, 
and  tells  me  that  the  picture  has  been  very  generally 
and  heartily  admired.  About  150  people  came.  Furnivall 
invited  me  to  do  something  about  early  Italian  "  Courtesy- 
Books  "  and  I  consented.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  22   April. — Hunt   has  as  good  as  finished 

*  This  had  taken  place  at  Mr  Tebbs's  house— Mrs  Guppy  being 
the  medium. 

t  Mr  John  Forbes  Robertson.  The  distinguished  actor  is 
his  Son. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  305 


his  portraits  of  Mrs  and  Miss  Edith  Waugh,  and  is  engaged 
on  one  of  his  late  Wife :  he  is  also  doing  some  retouching 
on  the  picture  of  London  Bridge  on  the  Wedding-night 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  He  says  Woolner  has  lately  been 
picking-up  cheap  a  number  of  pictures  which  he  calls 
Turners,  Cromes,  Gainsboroughs,  etc.,  but  as  to  many  of 
which  H[unt]  has  the  strongest  doubts ;  these  he  lately 
expressed  to  W[oolner],  and  some  degree  of  irritation  on 
the  part  of  the  latter  has  ensued.  H[unt]  expects  to  leave 
for  the  East  towards  the  beginning  of  May.  He  would 
go  first  to  Florence,  to  give  instructions  about  a  monument 
to  his  Wife ;  then  probably  to  Venice,  where  it  seems  just 
possible  I  might  be  in  the  way  of  meeting  him ;  then 
back  to  Florence  on  the  same  errand,  before  finally  starting 
on  the  Eastern  journey. 

Thursday^  23  April. — Called  at  Swinburne's  to  talk  over 
with  him  a  project  started  by  Hotten,  that  S[winburne]  and 
I  should  do  a  pamphlet  on  the  R[oyal]  A[cademy],  as  the 
beginning  of  a  series  somewhat  like  that  by  Ruskin.  S[win- 
burne]  was  not  at  home,  but  I  left  him  a  note  on  the  subject, 
expressing  my  readiness  to  act.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  25  April. — Swinburne  called  in  Euston  Square. 
His  notion  of  the  proposed  R.A.  pamphlet  is  that  I  should 
do  whatever  review  I  please  of  the  whole  Exhibition,  and 
that  he  should  add  a  second  section  saying  whatever  he 
chooses  to  say — which  would  most  probably  relate  to  some 
of  the  same  pictures  I  had  already  discussed.  This  I  think 
about  the  most  satisfactory  way  of  settling  it  as  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  though  in  itself  rather  a  dislocated  scheme.  .  .  . 
He  is  preparing  a  Selection  from  Coleridge,  and  consulted 
me  as  to  the  pieces  to  be  admitted.  His  standstill  with 
The  Fortnightly  Review  continues  :  he  can't  get  paid  for 
the  Halt  before  Rome,  nor  can  he  get  back  his  Notes  on  Old 
Masters'  Drawings  in  Florence. 

Sunday,  26  April. — Gabriel  called.  .  .  .  G[abriel]'s  eyes 
again  cause  him  some  uneasiness :  he  says  they  feel  harder 
and  rounder-balled  than  of  old. 

Monday,   27   April. —  Swinburne  and  I  discussed  the 

U 


306 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


matter  with  Hotten.  The  pamphlet  altogether  would  be 
about  the  same  thickness  as  Ruskin's,  but  would  contain 
more  matter,  .  .  .  He  showed  me  a  letter  from  Whitman, 
approving  of  the  Selection  (he  speaks  only  of  its  sightliness), 
but  objecting  decisively  to  the  portrait.  Swinburne  tells  me 
that  Sandys  has  just  learned  that  his  picture  of  Medea  (the 
best  thing  he  has  done)  is  rejected  at  the  R.A.,  which  upsets 
him  not  a  little.  Perhaps  some  personal  considerations  have 
intervened  :  as  a  matter  of  art,  the  rejection  is  shameful. 
Hotten  says  the  Whitman  Selection  has  sold  tolerably  well,  but 
that  publishing  in  general  is  at  a  very  low  ebb  for  the  present. 

Ticesday^  28  April. — Sandys  called,  wishing  to  get  as 
much  publicity  as  possible  given  to  the  affair  of  his  picture 
and  the  R.  A.  Gabriel  is  writing  to  Payne  *  and  Stephens  : 
I  wrote  to  Hamerton,  and  promised  to  say  something  in 
my  pamphlet,  though  I  would  rather  keep  it  free  from 
any  such  controversies.  Sandys  says  that  Millais  is  very 
angry  about  the  way  his  own  pictures  have  been  hung ; 
and  the  hanging  generally  excites  loud  murmurs.  Calderon 
and  S[idney]  Cooper  are  charged  with  the  active  misdoing — 
Maclise  having  objected  continually,  but  not  so  as  to  put  a 
stop  to  what  he  considered  amiss. — I  called  at  Browning's 
to  deliver  to  Miss  Browning  a  letter  from  Stillman,  and  to 
give  Browning  the  photograph  from  La  Farge's  design  of 
TJie  Pied  Piper  of  Havielin.  B[rowning]  was  not  in.  Miss 
B[rowning]  showed  me  various  items  of  interest  in  the 
way  of  pictures  etc.,  also  the  owl.  She  detests  Woolner's 
Medallion  of  B[rowning],f  objecting  especially  to  a  degree 
of  projection  given  to  the  under-lip.  B[rowning]'s  first 
intimacy  with  the  Storys  J  arose  through  his  giving  him- 
self up  wholly  to  attending  to  their  then  only  Son  in  his 
last  illness.     The  pictures  include  a  portrait,  by  Wright 

The  Rev.  J.  Burnell  Payne,  who  was  at  that  time  an  Art-critic  of 
some  note. 

t  This  medallion  had  been  done  many  years  previously,  perhaps 
towards  1856.  I  myself  consider  it  a  fair  likeness,  though  not  an  excellent 
one. 

I  Mr  W,  W,  Story  the  American  Sculptor,  and  his  Wife. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  30V 


of  Derby,  of  B[rowning]'s  Grandmother,  v/ho  must  have 
been  a  strikingly  handsome  woman  ;  a  portrait  by  Hogarth 
of  Thornhill  —  a  poorish  picture,  and  I  should  think  its 
genuineness  not  beyond  question  ;  a  Rembrandt  which  I 
am  satisfied  is  not  a  Rembrandt.  None  of  these,  I  take 
it,  is  B[rowning]'s  own  acquisition.  Among  those  of  his 
own  purchasing  is  an  old  Italian  picture — God  the  Father 
with  Angels — on  panel  in  three  compartments.  He  had 
the  luck  to  get  these  three  compartments  one  here  and 
one  there  :  they  undoubtedly  form  one  picture. 

Wednesday,  29  April. — Payne  (of  Moxon  and  Co.)  writes, 
in  consequence  of  my  Shelley  articles  in  N\otes'\  and 
Q\ueries\  to  invite  me  to  undertake  a  re-editing  of  Shelley, 
accompanied  by  a  biographic  notice,  for  which  he  thinks 
he  would  be  able  to  get  placed  in  my  hands  the  chief 
materials  hitherto  unpublished.*  Of  all  literary  work, 
this  is  the  very  one  I  would  have  chosen  for  myself: 
indeed,  from  something  Swinburne  said  to  me  two  or 
three  years  ago,  I  had  a  dim  eye  to  its  feasibility  in 
writing  those  articles  on  Shelley.  Though  I  would  rather 
(in  consequence  of  the  Poems  and  Ballads  affair)  not 
connect  myself  with  Payne  in  any  business  or  other  way, 
I  wrote  closing  with  his  proposal — leaving  over  the  question 
of  pay  till  the  actual  amount  of  work  to  be  done  shall  be 
more  clearly  ascertained.  Called  on  Sandys,  to  see  his 
Medea  and  other  works  in  hand. — P'urnivall  sent  me  the 
old  poem  of  Bonvicino,  the  chief  material  for  the  "  Courtesy- 
Book  "  work  I  consented  to  do.  .  .  . 

Friday^  I  May. — Sandys  called  at  Somerset  House.  He 
says  that  several  critics  have  called  to  see  his  picture — 
Tom  Taylor,  Payne,  etc. ;  among  them  the  critic  of  The 
Morning  Post,  who  asked  to  be  furnished  with  some 
details  that  he  could  introduce  into  his  review.  Sandys, 
not  liking  to  do  this  himself,  asked  my  aid  ;  and  I  wrote 
off  something  which  may  perhaps  appear  as  it  stands,  or 
be  used  as  material.  Leyland  has  bought  Sandys's  picture 
of  The  Valkyrie  for  £200.  .  .  . 

^  This  did  not  ensue. 


308 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Saturday,  9  May. — Called  at  Street's ;  *  and  saw  the 
cassone  with  a  picture  ascribed  to  Dello  Delli,  which  he 
bought  lately  at  Dazeglio's  sale.  It  is  especially  interest- 
ing by  reason  of  its  introducing  Giotto's  front  to  the 
Cathedral  of  Florence.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  12  May. — Sala,  Sandys,  and  others,  dined  at 
Chelsea.  A  large  tent  has  been  set  up  in  the  garden, 
and  is  pleasant  even  now,  and  will  be  very  enjoyable  in 
thoroughly  warm  weather :  v/e  spent  the  greater  part  of 
the  evening  in  it.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  13  May. — Finished,  and  sent  for  Furnivall 
to  read,  the  translation  of  Bonvicino's  Fifty  Courtesies  for  the 
Table.  .  .  . 

Monday,  1%  May. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  called.  Leyland  has  now 
commissioned  the  Medusa  picture,f  the  commission  for 
which,  previously  given  by  Matthews,  miscarried  last 
winter.  I  told  G[abriel]  that  Swinburne  had  yesterday 
expressed  himself  desirous  of  saying  in  his  Notes  something 
about  G[abriel],  could  he  ascertain  that  G[abriel]  would  like 
it.  G[abriel]  asked  me  to  reply  (which  I  did)  that  he  would 
like  it,  if  "  due  prominence  "  can  be  given  to  the  point.  .  .  . 

Monday,  25  May. — Hotten  called  with  the  MS.  conclusion 
of  Swinburne's  R.A.  Notes,  relating  chiefly  to  Gabriel. 
G[abriel],  who  called  in  the  evening,  feels  some  doubts 
wiiother  it  would  not  after  all  have  been  better  to  leave 
all  this  undone,  and  I  incline  to  the  same  opinion  ;  but  the 
thing  is  done  now.  .  .  . 

Friday,  29  May. — Gabriel  has  now  got  very  near  the 
completion  of  his  Venus  Verticordia:  he  is  also  engaged 
in  painting  on  two  or  three  heads  of  Mrs  Morris. 

Saturday,  6  fune. — Started  for  Paris  en  route  to  Verona, 
and  perhaps  Venice.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  10  fune. —  .  .  .  Left  Bale  at  2.20  P.M.,  and 
reached  Constance  before  8.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  ii  fune. —  .  .  .  This  is  the  Feast  of  Corpus 

*  George  Edmund  Street,  the  Architect  who  built  the  Law-courts  etc. 
t  This  commission  failed  somehow,  and   the  picture  was  never 
painted. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  309 


Domini.  About  four-fifths  of  the  population  are  Catholic, 
and  a  procession  took  place  in  the  morning,  with  an  out- 
door mass  directly  opposite  my  bedroom  window.  I 
never  saw  any  such  demonstration  done  with  more  serious- 
ness, simplicity,  and  propriety  :  all  ages  and  ranks  took 
part  in  it,  repeating  litanies,  singing  hymns,  etc. — the 
military  band  also  performing.  The  streets  were  strewn 
with  hay,  and  to  some  extent  with  flowers,  and  large 
boughs  of  elm  and  other  trees  ranged  all  along  the  houses. 
The  service  was  conducted  throughout  in  German,  and 
the  Gospel  intoned  with  unsurpassable  emphasis  and 
clearness.  Various  nuns  but  no  monks  visible.  Almost 
all  the  shops  shut,  especially  before  mid-day.  .  .  . 

Saturday^  13  June. — Reached  Lecco  at  about  ^\  A.M.  .  .  . 
Took  a  carriage  and  boat,  looking  about,  and  making  an 
industrial  day  of  it.  First  went  to  a  silk-mill.  The  lady 
of  the  house,  a  young  and  attractive  woman,  took  me  all 
over,  and  gave  me  all  possible  explanations  with  the 
greatest  courtesy.  Most  of  the  work  is  done  by  women 
and  girls,  but  the  final  stages  by  men.  Saw  the  selecting 
of  the  better  from  the  inferior  cocoons,  cleaning  them 
(the  lady's  brother-in-law  has  introduced  in  this  house  a 
machine  of  his  own  invention,  saving  much  labour  in  this 
stage),  firing  the  cocoons,  etc.  It  seems  the  cocoons  have 
all  to  go  to  the  oven,  to  kill  the  unfortunate  chrysalis  :  but 
for  this  he  would  come  out  in  his  moth-shape,  and  spoil 
all :  and  the  firing  is  often  imperfectly  done,  and  lets  the 
moth  come  out  still  in  a  damaged  state.  I  saw  one  of 
these  ill-starred  insects.  Went  next  to  a  cotton-factory, 
and  looked  all  about,  but  with  much  less  of  verbal  explana- 
tion. .  .  .  Then  went  to  a  manufactory  of  small  arms — or 
rather,  as  far  as  I  saw,  of  the  ironwork  only  of  the  muskets. 
A  most  sensible  and  attentive  workman  showed  me  all 
about,  giving  all  sorts  of  details  and  demonstrations,  and 
absolutely  refused  the  two  francs  I  tendered  him  at  parting. 
He  fought  at  Custozza  in  '66,  rescued  a  banner,  and  got 
a  medal  for  the  feat ;  was  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  taken 
prisoner,  and  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Austrians  about 


310 


ilOSSETTt  PAPERS 


two  months — thigh  now  cured.  Another  of  the  men  in 
the  factory,  seemingly  a  superintendent,  was  his  Lieutenant. 
My  guide,  like  many  other  persons  here,  was  wearing 
sandals.  From  the  boat  landed  and  looked  over  a  limekiln. 
They  blast  the  limestone  rocks  of  which  there  is  an  endless 
supply  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  burn  them,  and  send  them 
down  to  Milan  by  barge  in  about  twenty-four  hours.  The 
fierce  furnace,  huge  stacks  of  wood  (kept  over  from  year 
to  year  to  dry  thoroughly),  and  interior  of  the  kiln-buildings 
generally,  would  make  a  good  picture.  The  boatman 
pointed  me  out  a  convent  of  nuns  on  one  mountain,  and,  a 
considerable  way  off  on  another  mountain,  a  convent  of 
monks  :  both  now  empty,  the  orders  being  suppressed.  He 
asserts  positively  that  the  monks  were  continually  crossing 
over  in  boats  to  consort  with  the  nuns ;  and  evidently 
regards  both,  and  their  kind  generally,  as  a  bad  lot.  .  .  . 
Hosts  of  volunteers  joined  Garibaldi  from  here,  both 
last  year  for  Rome  and  on  previous  occasions :  the  boatman 
and  the  Custozza  soldier  both  seem  to  regard  Garibaldi 
with  affection,  but  as  if  his  career  were  now  substantially 
closed.  ...  At  supper  got  into  conversation  with  the  waiter 
(not  the  one  I  remember  here  in  '65).  With  him  Victor 
Emmanuel  is  a  "  traditore  ipoci'itar  *  His  popularity  is 
entirely  gone  since  the  Roman  affair  of  last  year.  He  really 
does  not  want,  even  for  his  own  personal  interests,  to  have 
Rome  ;  but  would  rather  keep  up  the  Pope,  as  the  general 
ally  of  despots.  Italy,  i.e.^  the  great  bulk  of  the  people, 
is  republican.  The  only  reason  they  did  not  rise  last  year 
is  their  want  of  material  resources.  If  the  present  Pope 
dies,  another  will  succeed  as  usual,  but  in  twenty  years 
the  game  will  be  up.  Italy,  France,  and  Germany,  ought 
to  form  one  common  Republic :  but  not  with  a  President. 
It  should  be  Triumvirs,  or  such  a  presidential  system  as 
there  is  in  Switzerland,  where  twelve  Governors  of  Cantons 
elect  from  among  themselves  one  annual  President.  Prince 
Humbert  is  much  the  same  as  his  Father — "Talis  patn> 
talis  fihVj-." 

*  Hypocrite-traitor. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  311 


Sunday,  14  June. — Left  Lecco  for  Mantua.  ...  It  was 
a  great  satisfaction  to  pass  Peschiera  without  any  of  the 
bother  of  passports,  or  any  Austrian  faces  or  uniforms  to 
enforce  their  production.  Reached  Mantua  towards  ij.  .  .  . 
Got  a  Vetturino,  who  was  evidently  not  very  bright  as  to 
the  locaHties  :  he  took  me  to  the  Palazzo  di  Corte  instead 
of  Palazzo  della  Ragione,  and  had  no  idea  of  Mantegna's 
house  or  who  Mantegna  was ;  and,  to  my  surprise,  the 
woman  at  G[iulio]  Romano's  house  (an  elegant  exterior) 
was  no  better  informed.  However,  I  reached  the  locality 
with  Murray's  help,  and  saw  the  house :  it  is  of  very 
considerable  size,  hard-by  a  fine  Lombard  brick  church  now 
used  as  barracks.  .  .  .  The  Palazzo :  .  .  .  This  vast  and  in 
many  respects  splendid  Palace  is  uninhabited,  being  only 
used  when  the  sovereign  or  his  representative  happens  to 
visit  Mantua :  Victor  Emmanuel  has  not  yet  been.  The 
Duomo  is  a  good  Renaissance  interior  (G[iulio]  Romano). 
A  priest  was  catechizing  a  set  of  little  boys,  and  discoursing 
on  the  Corpus  Domini :  he  did  it  with  a  very  paternal  and 
at  the  same  time  magisterial  air.  The  total  inattention  of 
the  little  fellows  (uncombined  however  with  any  direct 
misconduct)  during  his  perambulatory  lecture  on  the 
spiritual  demands  and  advantages  of  the  Corpus  Domini 
was  amusing.  The  youngest  would  probably  be  no  more 
than  6 — the  eldest  12  or  13.  In  leaving  Lecco  I  received 
part  of  my  change  in  paper-money  (the  first  time,  I  think, 
this  ever  occurred  to  me) — 2  francs  :  and  going  on  I  find 
paper  more  plentiful  than  coin — even  half-francs  being  in 
paper.  Went  to  the  Aquila  d'Oro  in  Mantua.  .  .  .  After 
dinner  to  an  open-air  Theatre.  .  .  .  The  piece  at  the  theatre 
was  of  the  intensely  virtuous  kind  characteristic  of  Italy — 
La  Bella  Giulietta  di  Mantova,  etc.,  with  a  libidinous  baron 
finally  converted  by  a  santo  sacerdote  (I  think  the  priests 
are  always  models  of  primitive  zeal  in  the  theatre,  though 
popular  feeling  is  so  much  the  other  way),  and  two  peasants 
of  the  most  heroic  family-virtues.  Then  a  farce  fairly  well 
acted,  about  Le  Piccole  Miserie.  .  .  . 

Monday,  15  June. — .  .  .  The  man  in  the  Church  [of  San 


312 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


Sebastiano]  accompanied  me  round  to  the  Museo  Antiquario. 
He  says  things  are  even  worse  here  than  in  the  time 
of  the  Austrians,  and  avows  that,  if  an  improvement  does 
not  take  place,  he  would  rather  have  the  Austrians  back. — 
The  dialect  here  seems  more  allied  to  the  Lombard  than 
Venetian.  The  French  u  is  sounded ;  and  a  man  who 
emits  twenty  words  not  including  mica,  mico,  migo,  or 
miga,  is  a  phenomenon.  .  .  .  Walked  off  to  spend  the  twi- 
light quietly  in  the  green  before  the  Anfiteatro  Virgiliano, 
when  an  old  lady  asked  me  for  an  alms.  She  then  said  she 
had  seen  me  in  Sant'  Andrea  ;  and,  on  my  remarking  that 
I  had  been  in  the  Crypt,  whence  the  Austrians  about  1848 
took  or  destroyed  the  relic  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  she  said 
with  much  apparent  earnestness  that  the  nation  had  never 
prospered  since ;  she  seemed  to  have  a  sincere  impression 
that  the  two  things  are  connected.  I  got  into  a  conversa- 
tion of  some  three-quarters  of  an  hour  with  this  old  lady, 
who  says  she  is  eighty,  and  is  still  not  without  some  good 
looks.  Her  Father,  a  Frenchman  of  good  family,  fled  to 
Italy  in  consequence  of  a  brawl,  and,  finally  getting  into 
political  troubles  there,  took  poison.  She  married  at  four- 
teen, and  at  sixteen  was  abandoned  by  her  husband,  whose 
fate  she  has  never  since  known.  She  allovvs  that  her  life 
was  not  entirely  correct  after  this :  she  had  some  children 
— of  whom  at  least  one,  a  daughter,  is  still  living,  but  not 
allowed  by  her  husband  to  do  anything  for  the  Mother, 
who  (her  marriage  being  contrary  to  the  liking  of  her  own 
relatives)  has  long  lost  sight  of  them  utterly.  Being  a 
patriotic  Italian,  she  got  into  prison  —  the  same  here  in 
Mantua  wherein  Orsini  was  confined :  she  now  has  no 
dependence  whatever,  and  looks  with  alarm  at  the  prospect 
from  day  to  day.  Many  other  details  did  the  poor  old  lady 
pour  forth  —  and  I  quite  believe  substantially  correct. — 
Mantegna's  house,  I  am  told,  is  to  be  converted  into  an 
agricultural  school,  and  will  be  much  altered  (it  has  at 
present  still  an  appearance  of  considerable  age)  if  not  alto- 
gether rebuilt.  The  inscription  mentioned  in  Murray  is 
still  legible  on  it — an  upright  slab  at  one  corner  reaching 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIAHY,  1868 


313 


to  the  ground. — About  the  ditches  or  moats  of  Mantua  there 
is  a  very  splendid  dragon-fly  which  I  don't  remember  ever 
seeing  before — a  rich  velvety  crimson.  .  .  .  Mantua  is  said 
to  be  now  no  longer  the  unhealthy  place  it  used  to  be  of 
old  with  such  a  profusion  of  marsh-ground.  The  country 
is  flat  and  somewhat  cut  up  with  water-courses,  but  not  (in 
the  present  weather,  as  far  as  I  see)  exactly  marshy :  the 
"  pine-tree  forest "  of  Browning's  Sordello  nowhere  visible.  I 
notice  a  Contrada  and  Caffe  Sordello. 

Tuesday^  1 6  June. — Came  on  to  Venice  and  reached  at 
5  j,  after  two  hours'  stay  at  Verona,  and  looking  at  the 
Arena  etc.  On  arriving  at  the  Hotel  Danieli,  Venice,  I 
thought  of  counting-over  the  money  kept  in  my  hat-box, 
and  lo  it  is  gone.  Some  one  must  have  robbed  me — prob- 
ably on  the  railway.  The  money  was  in  the  collar-compart- 
ment of  the  hat-box — 690  francs,  £d,.  5s.  5d.  English,  and 
a  little  Swiss  etc.  .  .  .  This  is  the  first  day  (save  in  the 
Diligence)  that  I  have  let  the  hat-case  out  of  my  own 
hands :  the  two  hours'  stay  at  Verona,  with  consequent 
nuisance  of  re-consigning  the  hat-box  there,  persuaded  me 
to  adopt  this  course.  On  discovering  the  loss,  I  at  once 
asked  for  the  hotel-proprietor,  and  explained  it  to  him — 
and  he  said  he  would  take  the  necessary  steps  with  tele- 
graph etc.,  but  doesn't  expect  the  money  to  be  got  back. 
He  says  he  had  before  suspected  the  railway-people.  .  .  . 
My  present  money  in  pocket  is  merely  about  131  francs.  .  .  . 

Wednesday^  17  June. — The  Hotel  Danieli  being  expensive 
for  a  nearly  empty  pocket,  I  changed  to  a  room  in  the 
Hotel  Garni  Sandwith,  which  seems  more  comfortable  at 
I J  franc  per  night  —  hardly  more  than  one-third  of  the 
price.  .  .  .  Telegraphed  to  G[abriel]  for  £20.  .  .  .  Wrote 
also  to  .  .  .  Kirkup,  asking  for  loan  of  100  francs  or  so.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  18  June. —  .  .  .  Returned  to  my  lodging,  and 
found  some  one  had  just  been  from  the  Telegraph-Office. 
Walked  thither,  and  find  it  is  a  Post-Office  order  from  good 
kind  old  Kirkup  for  300  francs,  three  times  the  sum  I  had 
named.  Found  also  that  there  was  another  telegram  at  the 
Banker  Blumenthal's  from  Gabriel,  to  say  that  he  would  send 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  £20  through  bank  this  morning.  Thus  all  goes  well  again. 
.  .  .  Then  to  a  wild-beast  show  set  up  on  the  Riva  Schia- 
voni  very  near  my  lodging.  I  find  it  a  somewhat  important 
show  of  its  class  :  they  call  it  Schmidt's  Prussian  Menagerie. 
Schmidt  performs  in  a  cage  with  two  spotted  and  a  black 
panther.  Then  Mrs  S[chmidt]  (seems  a  Frenchwoman) — 
S[chmidt]  being  at  her  side — with  the  lioness  and  three 
lions,  two  hyaenas,  and  a  bear,  all  together.  Then  S[chmidt] 
with  four  lions.  All  this  was  very  interesting.  The  noble 
old  lions  were  made  to  make  all  sorts  of  jumps  over  sticks 
etc.  ;  and,  when  they  had  done  this,  they  huddled  their 
heads  together  in  a  corner,  as  if  they  felt  their  humiliation. 
Their  general  aspect  was  as  if  to  say,  "  We  will  do  what 
we  must,  but  certainly  no  more."  The  lioness  seemed 
rather  more  snappish  than  the  lions :  Madame  S[chmidt] 
most  intrepid,  but  still  a  certain  air  of  fluttered  nerves. 
Then  the  elephant  did  a  good  deal,  including  playing  a 
barrel-organ,  and  holding  a  man  on  her  trunk  :  and  a  blue- 
nosed  monkey,  dressed  as  a  cook,  served  her  dinner — irre- 
sistibly laughable.  Then  some  crocodiles  and  boas.  All 
these  performances  took  place  within  a  yard  or  so  distance 
from  me.  Returning  to  my  lodging  for  the  night,  I  find 
an  official  from  Mantua  has  been  enquiring  for  me.  He 
returns  almost  immediately,  and  enters  very  attentively  into 
the  details  of  my  affair.  He  says  (contrary  to  the  previous 
officials)  that  the  key  of  the  hat-box  is  by  no  means  one 
very  likely  to  be  possessed  in  counterpart  by  people  here. 
He  has  a  particular  person  belonging  to  the  railway  in  his 
eye  as  the  delinquent,  either  at  Mantua  or  Venice.  He 
says  the  robbery  is  very  unlikely  to  have  taken  place  during 
the  2j  hours'  stop  at  Verona,  where  all  the  baggage  is 
left  out  exposed  to  view.  .  .  . 

Friday^  19  June. —  ...  To  San  Giovanni  e  Paolo.  They 
have  transported  hither  from  Cosenza  the  bodies  of  the 
two  Bandieras  and  Moro,*  and  buried  them  in  the 
church,  with  their  names  inscribed  ;  and  a  design  for  a  monu- 
ment is  already  made  or  in  making.  The  Chapel  of  the 
*  Italian  patriots,  put  to  death  towards  1846. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTl— DIARY,  1868 


315 


Rosary,  in  which  the  Peter  Martyr  and  the  Bellini  were 
burnt,  is  still  in  a  ruinous  state.  .  .  .  The  head  of  the 
assassin  [from  the  Peter  Martj/?^']  has  been  saved,  and  will 
go  to  the  Academy ;  *  and  fragments  of  the  frame  etc.  were 
found,  sufficient  to  show  that  the  picture  was  really  burned 
(a  suggestion  had  reached  me  that  the  supposed  burning  was 
all  a  dodge  of  the  priests).  The  cause  of  the  fire  is  yet 
uncertain,  and  people  seem  to  dwell  much  on  the  suspicion 
of  incendiarism.  Query  :  Motive  ?  Answer  :  To  carry  away 
the  picture  in  the  confusion  (it  was  on  the  eve  of  removal 
by  the  Government  to  the  Academy).  .  .  .  Went  again  to 
the  beast-show,  to  see  (after  a  repetition  of  yesterday's  per- 
formances) M.  Schmidt  with  the  polar  bear.  The  polar 
bear  is  regarded  as  a  beast  unamenable  even  to  the  reason 
of  a  lion-tamer :  the  performance  with  him  consists  only 
in  being  in  the  same  cage,  and  throwing  with  rapidity  bit 
after  bit  of  meat,  for  which  he  jumps  over  a  table.  These 
are  thrown  to  the  opposite  corners  successively,  so  that 
P[olar]  B[ear]'s  attention  is  occupied  incessantly  in  different 
directions,  and  is  diverted  from  Schmidt.  I  can't  make  out 
distinctly  that  the  lions  retain  their  claws  :  their  teeth  are 
of  the  extremest  obviousness. 

Saturday,  20  June. — Visited  the  Ducal  Palace.  ...  I 
still  think  Tintoret's  Paradise  puts-in  a  fair  claim  for  being 
regarded  as  the  finest  picture  in  existence  :  I  looked  at  it 
a  long  hour.  The  four  Tintorets  in  the  Anticollegio  are 
cleaned,  and  in  parts  painfully  restored,  especially  the  figure 
of  Ariadne :  and  various  other  Tintorets  and  Veroneses 
passim  have  suffered  the  same  piteous  fate.  Saw  the 
Sotto-Piombi.  One  chamber  is  kept  unaltered:  certainly 
a  dark  and  distressful  abode,  but  I  discover  nothing  horrible 
in  it.  Other  rooms  are  thrown  together,  so  that  one  loses 
the  sense  of  the  confined  space.  All,  as  far  as  I  see,  have 
solid  wooden  ceilings,  belonging  (so  the  custode  says)  to 
the  original  condition  of  the  cells  :  and  I  can  testify  that, 

I  have  been,  since  this  was  written,  several  times  to  the  Venice 
Academy,  but  without  seeing  this  head  of  the  assassin :  what  has 
become  of  it  ? 


316 


ROSSETTi  PAPERS 


on  this  day  of  full  June  heat  (though  less  hot  than  previous 
days),  the  ordinary  allegation  that  the  cells  were  "  burning 
hot  under  the  leads "  has  no  validity.  .  .  .  The  Gondolier 
whom  I  took  after  this  says  that  affairs  are  wretchedly 
stagnant,  and  the  introduction  of  paper-money  (hitherto 
unknown)  a  great  grievance.  Neapolitans  have  been  placed 
in  all  the  chief  military  or  governmental  positions,  by  no 
means  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Venetians.  The  Duke  of 
Bordeaux  is  gone,  and  could  not  return  unless  the  Govern- 
ment permits  him.  .  .  . 

Monday,  22  June. —  .  .  .  Called  at  Blumenthal's,  and  find 
that  Gabriel  has  good-naturedly  sent  me  £'^0  instead  of 
£20.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  24  Ju7te. — .  .  .  Left  Venice  10.30  A.M.  .  .  . 
Reach  Milan  soon  after  6,  and  put  up  at  our  old  Hotel 
Cavour.  All  the  street  leading  to  it  from  the  railway  seems  - 
to  me  new.  After  dinner  walk  down  to  the  Duomo.  Dear 
old  Milan,  the  first  Italian  city  I  knew  in  '60,  has  vanished 
from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  a  demi-semi-Hausmannized 
substitute  for  it  exists,  and  is  still  called  Milan.  The  space 
before  the  Cathedral-front  is  immensely  enlarged,  and  their 
blessed  Galleria  Vittorio  Emmanuele  is  a  mushroom  of 
astonishing  growth.  I  suppose  one  must  admit  it  to  be 
the  first  thing  of  its  kind  in  Europe :  twenty-four  or  so 
statues  of  illustrious  Italians.  It  seems  incredible,  yet  as 
far  as  I  can  discern  it  is  a  positive  fact,  that  neither  Luini  (!) 
nor  even  Da  Vinci  (! !)  is  included.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  25  June. —  .  .  .  Pass  Magenta  ...  on  the 
road  to  Arona,  where  one  has  to  stay  up  to  near  midnight. 
Put  up  at  the  Albergo  d'ltalia.  Engaged  a  boat  on  the 
lake  for  two  hours.  .  .  .  My  boatman  had  fought  under 
Garibaldi  in  '59,  and  told  me  a  great  deal  about  the  opera- 
tions of  that  campaign — how  Garibaldi  would  summon  his 
men  at  midnight  or  soon  after  to  descend  a  mountain  bare- 
foot, and  take  the  Austrians  somewhere  by  surprise.  An 
attempt  of  the  Garibaldians  on  a  fort  thwarted  by  the 
timidity  of  their  guides,  with  much  slaughter  resulting,  etc. 
etc.    He  speaks  highly  of  Garibaldi's  sons.    Garibaldi  is  a 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  317 


famous  oarsman,  as  he  showed  on  this  Lago  Maggiore.  .  .  . 
Arona  (though  Murray  says  nothing  of  it)  contains  one  or 
two  good  pictures.  In  the  chief  Church,  S[anta]  M[aria] 
degl'  Innocenti,  an  ancona  in  several  compartments  by 
Gaud[enzio]  Ferrari,  the  chief  subject  The  Nativity  —  a 
superior  specimen.  An  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds  by 
Andrea  Piani,  light  emanating  from  the  Infant,  as  in  Cor- 
reggio  :  I  suppose  this  picture  may  be  as  late  as  1700.  It 
has  a  certain  academic  tinge,  but  is  really  remarkable  for 
grace  and  dignified  propriety.  In  the  Church  of  San 
Graziano  a  fine  old  picture,  c.  1490,  by  Gaudenzio  (some- 
thing— I  think  the  name  given  was  a  little  like  Meneghini), 
Virgin  and  Child  with  numerous  Saints.  There  is  also  a 
singularly  grand  composition  of  the  Three  Maries ;  which 
looks  to  me  more  like  a  tolerably  well-restored  Veronese 
than  anything  else,  though  it  seems  also  to  have  a  certain 
tinge  of  Michelangelo's  school,  .  .  . 

Saturday,  27  June. —  .  .  .  Came  on  in  the  afternoon  to 
Martigny  (Hotel  du  Cygne).  .  .  . 

Sunday,  28  June. —  .  .  .  Make  up  my  mind  to  .  .  .  go  .  .  . 
to  Pierre-a-voir,  a  fine  peak  nearer  here  .  .  .  7671  feet  high. 
.  .  .  One  of  the  guides  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Swiss  corps 
under  King  Bomba,  and  had  (what  I  never  heard  before)  a 
good  word  to  say  of  that  potentate — not  of  Bombino.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  30  June. —  .  .  .  Took  the  omnibus  to  Ferney. 
The  Voltairian  section  of  the  house  now  shown  is  the 
library,  bedroom,  and  over-arched  alley  of  trees  :  the  last  a 
charming  walk,  and  much  of  interest  in  all.  This  is  said 
to  be  unchanged.  ...  A  statue  to  the  Virgin,  on  the 
declaration  of  her  Immaculate  Conception,  was  erected  in 
'56  in  Voltaire's  Ferney,  by  the  inhabitants  exultantes"  in 
the  definition  of  the  doctrine  :  a  curious  satire  on  the  labours 
of  common  sense.  The  church  Voltaire  erected  is  still 
standing,  and  bears  his  inscription,  but  it  is  unused  and 
vacant.  The  servant  who  shows  one  over  the  house  always 
says  "  Monsieur  de  Voltaire." 

Wednesday,  i  July. —  .  .  .  Started  for  Paris,  staying  mid- 
way at  Chalons-sur-Saone.  .  .  .  Museum  interesting  chiefly 


318 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


as  containing  some  cameras  and  other  photographic  relics 
of  Niepce,  a  native  of  Chalons,  and  here  termed  the  inventor 
of  photography.  His  portrait  shows  a  face  something  like 
the  minor  Bonapartes.  .  .  . 

Friday,  3  July. — .  .  .  Home  by  Boulogne  and  the  Thames, 
arriving  Saturday  4th,  about  noon. 

Friday,  10  July. — About  2  P.M.  Cayley  came  to  me  at 
Somerset  House,  to  say  that  Swinburne  had  just  had  an 
accident  at  the  British  Museum.  He  fell  forward  .  .  .  and 
struck  his  head  against  an  iron  railing  or  something  of 
the  kind.  ...  I  went  round  at  once,  and  found  that  he  had 
been  taken  home  to  his  lodgings :  and  the  attendant  outside 
the  Reading-Room,  to  whom  I  spoke,  did  not  seem  to  lay 
any  great  stress  on  the  occurrence.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  12  July. — Lunched  with  Legros,  who  has  lately 
had  a  second  child,  a  daughter,  born  to  him.  He  has  various 
pictures  done  or  in  hand.  A  portrait  of  Jones,  all  but 
finished,  excellent.  Two  (or  I  believe  there  are  more)  large 
water-colour  landscapes,  one  already  hung  up  in  Constantine 
lonides'  house  (at  which  I  saw  it  in  the  afternoon).  Three 
or  more  of  his  favourite  church-subjects  in  progress.  A 
design  for  a  large  picture  he  means  to  do  of  T/ie  Martyrdom 
of  Sebastian,  to  go  to  Paris  next  year  :  I  think  the  merit 
of  the  design  much  marred  by  his  having  set  the  archers  so 
close  to  the  Saint.  The  Government  gave  him  only  ;^8o  for 
the  Stephen,  3.vid  £120  for  tho.  Amende  Honorable,  ^mchdiStd 
for  the  Luxembourg.  Legros  has  got  back  from  the  owner 
(in  exchange  for  another  picture)  the  Ex  Voto,  and  wishes 
to  present  it  to  our  National  Gallery  (or,  as  he  supposes, 
S[outh]  Kensington  people — I  wrote  in  the  evening  to  set 
him  right  on  this  point)  :  he  wishes  in  the  first  instance  to 
feel  his  way  as  to  the  acceptance  and  creditable  hanging  of 
the  picture.  He  believes  that  Millet  means  henceforth  to 
exhibit  little  or  nothing.  .  .  . 

Monday,  13  July. — Met  Brett  in  the  street.  .  .  .  He  says 
art  is  in  an  absolutely  stagnant  state  this  year  as  regards 
sales.  Went  round  with  Gabriel  to  see  Swinburne.  He 
is  in  capital  spirits,  with  health  apparently  to  correspond : 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  319 


a  little  plaistering  on  his  forehead.  He  says  that  the 
closeness  of  the  Museum  Reading-Room  on  that  excep- 
tionally hot  day  quite  overcame  him.  He  had  to  bear  it 
a  long  while,  awaiting  a  friend  with  whom  he  had  an  ap- 
pointment :  but  at  last,  rising  to  go,  he  was  taken  with 
instant  faintness,  and  fell.  Everybody  on  the  spot  showed 
him  the  greatest  attention  :  and  he  receives  most  cordially 
Browning's  attention  in  calling  yesterday.  He  believes 
the  R.A.  pamphlet  sells  very  well.  He  has  written  little  or 
no  poetry  of  late.  A  month  or  two  ago  he  discovered  that 
his  MSS.  of  the  play  of  Bothwell  and  of  Tristram  and  Yseult 
(a  goodish  deal  written  of  each)  were  missing  (perhaps  lost 
in  a  cab),  and  he  has  never  got  a  clue  to  them  since.  A 
great  plague  this.  .  .  .  He  has  lately  met  Longfellow,  and 
likes  him  much ;  finding  him  very  unaffected,  straight- 
forward, and  free  from  uneasy  egotism.  Mazzini  says  that, 
within  about  five  months  from  now  the  republican  flag 
will  be  waving  over  Rome :  this  he  said  lately,  among  inti- 
mates, to  a  lady  who  was  proposing  to  go  to  Rome,  and 
whom  he  advised  to  wait  awhile.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  14  July. — Gabriel  is  painting  a  portrait  of  Mrs 
Morris,  seated,  in  a  blue  silk  dress  :  one  of  the  figures  he 
painted-in  of  her  when  she  was  staying  at  Chelsea.  We 
dined  (for  the  first  time)  in  the  tent,  very  agreeably.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  19  July. — Sala,  Swinburne,  and  Whistler,  dined 
at  Chelsea.  Sala  speaks  of  himself  as  in  his  thirty-fifth 
year :  I  had  fancied  him  four  or  five  years  older.  He  says 
that  Hannay's  salary  as  Consul  at  Barcelona  will  be  £600 
a  year.  He  has  been  escorting  Dore  through  the  mauvais 
lieux  of  London :  D[ore]  was  much  pleased  with  the  squalid 
cellar-shops  in  the  Seven  Dials  district.  He  is  an  agree- 
able companion — the  reverse  of  mealy-mouthed.  S[ala] 
understands  that  he  has  laid-by  5,000,  which  seems  by 
no  means  more  than  one  might  expect.  S[ala]  saw  Lincoln 
two  or  three  times  in  America,  and  thought  well  of  him : 
but  says  his  manners  were  unquestionably  such  as  would 
be  called  bad  in  society.  .  .  .  Talk  about  the  newly-dis- 
covered MS.  poem  (Epitaph)  attributed  to  Milton.  Sala 


320 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


contends  against  its  genuineness.  Says  the  initial  called 
J.  is  rather  a  P  :  also  that  Milton  was  wholly  blind  in  1650, 
and  (he  thinks,  but  would  have  to  look  further  into  this) 
not  likely  to  have  been  using  his  eyes  in  writing  in 
October  1647 — the  date  of  the  poem.  Swinburne,  Gabriel, 
and  myself,  believe  that  the  poem  is  in  all  probability 
Milton's — Swinburne  the  most  decisively  of  the  three.  I 
can't  say  I  think  it  a  fine  poem,  however.  .  .  . 

Friday^  24  July. — Scott  and  his  Wife  dined  in  Euston 
Square.  .  .  .  S[cott]  says  that  Ruskin  gave  Howell  £200  to 
set  himself  up  in  his  new  house  at  North  End,  Fulham  ; 
and  that  it  was  mainly  by  R[uskin]'s  wish  that  H[owell] 
went  there — the  object  being  that  he  may  be  close  to  Jones, 
and  keep  him  up  in  health  and  spirits.  H[owell]  buys  for 
R[uskin]  almost  everything  that  J  [ones]  paints.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  28  Jidy. — Called  to  see  Whistler's  pictures.  He 
is  doing  on  a  largeish  scale  for  Leyland  the  subject  of  women 
with  flowers,  and  has  made  coloured  sketches  of  four  or 
five  other  subjects  of  the  like  class,  very  promising  in  point 
of  conception  of  colour-arrangement.  .  .  .  Mrs  Whistler* 
says  that  things  were  still  dreadfully  bad  for  the  Southerners 
when  she  was  lately  in  America :  one  lady  of  fortune  of  her 
acquaintance  reduced  to  teaching  in  a  school  of  nigger 
children.  .  .  .  Gabriel  tells  me  that.  .  .  .  Brown  is  suffering- 
from  another  sharp  attack  of  gout — feet  and  hands. 

Wednesday^  29  July. — Hotten,  whom  I  met  in  the  street, 
says  that  the  R.  A.  Notes  have  sold  1300  (or  1500,  I  for- 
get which)  copies — not  a  large  number.  Swinburne,  who 
was  to  have  left  town  on  Tuesday  of  last  week,  was  still 
here  last  Monday.  So  strong  is  the  prejudice  against  Whit- 
man in  America  that  H[otten]  has  not  even  yet  succeeded 
in  getting  an  American  publisher  for  the  Selection  :  he 
is  expecting  however  to  arrange  soon  with  a  Joint-stock 
Company. — W[arington]  Taylor  asks  me  to  be  one  out 
of  three  trustees  for  his  Wife,  on  her  coming  into  the  rever- 
sion of  his  property  :  he  is  now  at  Bognor.  I  write  consent- 
ing. .  .  . 

*  The  Mother  of  the  Painter. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  321 


Sunday^  2  August, — Woolner  called.  He  has  done  an 
Ophelia,  and  is  engaged  on  the  Pabnerston  for  Palace  Yard : 
this  he  finds  a  tough  job,  the  face  in  old  age  being  much 
the  reverse  of  sculpturesque.  He  would  like  (and  I  quite 
agree  in  that  view)  to  represent  Palmerston  more  in  his 
prime — say  towards  age  of  fifty-five — but  does  not  think 
the  commissioning  body  would  countenance  this.  He  says 
that  the  Emanuel  PJiilibert  Monuvient  at  Turin,  nominally 
by  Marochetti,  is  well  known  to  have  been  done  by  a 
French  sculptor  of  great  talent,  Donnet  or  Dommet :  this 
work  he  admires  much.  The  price  he  gave  for  Millais's 
early  picture  of  Keats's  Isabella  was  ^630.  Hunt  has  been 
gone  for  about  a  month  back,  and  is  now  in  Florence. 

Monday,  3  August. — Tupper  called  at  Somerset  House. 
He  is  thinking  of  going  to  Rome  about  Christmas,  and 
started  the  query  whether  I  could  go  too.  I  should  much 
wish  to  see  Rome  again ;  and  said  I  would  consider  about 
it  when  the  time  comes,  and  let  him  know. 

Tuesday,  4  Attgust. — The  improvement  in  Christina's 
health  continues.  Gabriel  went  off  yesterday  with  Howell 
to  spend  a  few  days  with  the  Leylands  at  Speke  Hall. 
A  bat  entered  the  studio  at  Chelsea  in  the  evening, 
and  continued  flying  about  for  perhaps  a  full  hour :  Dunn 
and  I  endeavoured  to  catch  him,  but  without  success. 
There  was  lately  here  a  brood  of  three  ducklings.  Two 
were  murdered  by  the  cat,  who  brought  them  in  misplaced 
triumph  to  show  to  the  servants,  and  the  third  has  been 
tossed  to  death  by  the  peahen. 

Wednesday,  5  Azcgust. — Furnivall  having  asked  me 
whether  I  would  do  for  the  Chaucer  Society  a  prose- 
translation  of  Boccaccio's  Filostrato  (as  illustrating  C[haucer]'s 
Troyhcs),  or  else  a  collation  of  the  two  poems,  I  replied  that 
I  was  not  much  inclined  to  undertake  the  translation,  but 
would  do  the  collation  in  course  of  time,  if  wished  for. 

Thursday,  6  August. — Furnivall  closes  with  this  offer,  and 
leaves  me  a  Chaucer.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  11  August. — Gabriel  has  been  back  from  Speke 
Hall  since  Saturday.    It  seems  that,  about  two  days  before 

X 


322 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


going  thither,  his  sight  began  to  fail  in  a  somewhat  alarming 
manner,  and  has  continued  getting  worse  ever  since.  He 
has  consulted  a  German  oculist,  Bader,  recommended  by 
Howell.  B[ader]  gave  him  a  lotion,  saying  that  it  would  for 
a  while  damage  the  sight.  G[abriel],  having  applied  it  to 
the  right  eye,  found  during  the  course  of  to-day  that  the 
pupil  of  that  eye  had  become  very  much  enlarged  (besides 
its  sight  deteriorated).  This  alarmed  him  (though  my  im- 
pression is  that  the  symptom  is  a  matter  of  course,  and 
harmless) ;  and  he  went  back  to  Bader's,  but  did  not  find 
him  in :  will  return  to-morrow.  B[ader]  tells  him  that  he 
will  not  lose  his  sight  ;  but  G[abriel]  thinks  he  is  ominously 
silent  as  to  any  improvement  of  it.  For  the  present  G[abriel] 
is  quite  unable  to  paint.  However,  I  am  in  hopes  that 
general  nervousness  and  anxiety  may  account  for  much,  and 
the  sight  itself  be  not  much  harmed  for  a  permanence. 
G[abriel]  wants  for  the  present  to  get  some  one  to  read  to 
him  in  the  day.  He  has  had  of  late  to  give  a  good  deal  of 
money  to  W[arington]  Taylor  ;  and  makes  besides,  I  under- 
stand, an  annual  allowance  to  poor  old  Maenza,*  who  stands 
in  need  of  assistance.  At  the  R.A.  (which  he  did  not  visit 
till  towards  its  close)  he  thought  highly  of  Millais's  Pensioners, 
and  Watts's  sculpture ;  very  badly  of  Moore's  Azaleas.  .  .  . 

IVednesdaj/,  12  August. — Gabriel  saw  Dr  Bader,  who  tells 
him  the  enlargement  of  the  pupil  means  no  harm.  G[abriel] 
is  somewhat  better  to-day,  and  less  out  of  spirits  on  the 
general  question  of  his  sight.  .  .  . 

Friday,  14  August. — Gabriel  called  to-day  to  consult 
Dr  Gull  as  to  his  general  health,  but  did  not  find  him  in ;  his 
eyes  are  so  far  useable  that  he  can  read  and  write  without 
inconvenience,  and  yesterday  he  painted  a  little.  Dunn  .  .  . 
called  on  Dr  Bader  to  enquire  privately  what  the  state  of 
the  eyes  really  is  :  Dr  B[ader]  distinctly  affirms  that  there 
is  nothing  wrong  with  them  organically — their  weakness 
depending  upon  the  general  health.    G[abriel]  is  now  in 

*  An  Italian  settled  with  his  Wife  at  Boulogne  :  an  old  family-friend 
who  had  housed  Gabriel  in  1843  and  again  in  1845,  when  rather  out  of 
health, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  323 

correspondence  with  Scott,  who  wishes  to  dispose  of  his 
Brother's  two  pictures,  lately  in  the  Newcastle  Reading- 
room,*  to  some  purchaser  of  large  gallery-pictures  ;  it  seems 
he  would  take  ^250  for  the  two.  After  dinner  in  the  tent  I 
read  aloud  some  of  the  poems  of  Ebenezer  Jones,  which  I 
have  not  looked  at  these  fifteen  years  or  so.  I  find  their 
capacity,  and  fine  style  in  passages,  fully  equal  to  what  I 
used  to  suppose,  and  better  than  I  expected  they  would  now 
seem  to  me.  .  .  . 

Saturday^  15  August. — Bought  a  portion  of  Taylor's  blue 
china  for  £2.  12s.  Gabriel  went  to-day  to  the  Surgeon 
Durham,  to  get  set  right  in  a  matter  which  has  been  wrong 
this  long  while.  This  was  done  with  every  appearance  of 
success,  and  no  pain  worth  speaking  of — and  his  head  also  felt 
relieved  immediately  afterwards,  as  if  from  the  same  cause.  .  , 

Monday,  17  August. — A  notion  has  for  some  years  been 
in  my  head  of  writing  a  book  which  I  propose  calling  The 
Christimiity  of  Christ :  being  a  quotation  of  every  speech 
the  Gospels  attribute  to  him,  with  free  enquiry  as  to  the 
real  meaning  and  bearing  of  these  utterances.  As  far  as  I 
know,  no  such  book  has  ever  yet  been  written  :  perhaps  I 
shall  never  finish  it,  or  never  get  it  published — and  at  any 
rate  it  will  of  course  be  most  deficient  from  several  points 
of  view  :  yet  I  should  like  much  to  make  the  experiment. 
At  last  I  to-day  began  the  work  at  Somerset  House.f  .  .  . 

Thursday,  20  Azigust. —  Gabriel  had  an  idea  of  getting 
me  to  accompany  him  out  of  town,  to  which  I  had  most  will- 
ingly assented,  it  being  apparently  compatible  with  Somerset 
House  business  during  the  greater  part  of  next  week  (only) ; 
but  it  now  seems  even  this  will  not  be  possible,  Mitchell 
being  taken  ill  with  his  liver.f 

*  These  were  Achilles  over  the  Body  of  Pa  trod  us,  and  Orestes 
pursued  by  Furies :  important  works,  and  in  many  respects  very  fine. 
I  forget  where  they  are  now  housed. 

t  I  carried  it  on  for  some  while,  but  did  not  come  at  all  near  to  com- 
pleting it. 

%  This  is  a  specimen  of  the  obstacles  which  frequently  beset  me  when 
it  would,  on  other  grounds,  have  been  suitable  that  I  should  give  my 
companionship  to  my  Brother. 


324 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Friday,  21  August. — Mitchell  writes  to  me  that  he  is 
not  Hkely  to  return  any  part  of  next  week  ;  so  I  must  give 
up  the  idea  of  accompanying  Gabriel.  He  saw  Dr  Gull 
yesterday,  who  says  there  is  nothing  organic  the  matter 
with  him,  and  has  ordered  some  camphor  and  citrine  medi- 
cines, etc.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  25  August. — Gabriel  going  on  somewhat  better 
as  regards  both  health  and  eyesight :  he  thinks  of  going 
down  to  .Miss  Boyd  and  Scott  at  Penkill. 

Thursday,  27  August. — Dr  Heimann  .  .  .  does  not  now 
work  with  much  pleasure  at  University  College,  as  the 
authorities  there  have  gone  in  altogether  for  educating 
with  a  view  to  examinations,  and  this  traverses  the  course 
of  instruction  Dr  H[eimann]  would  often  pursue  of  his  own 
accord.  The  Japanese  students  who  were  at  the  College 
showed  particularly  well,  not  only  in  mathematics,  but  also 
(which  was  a  surprise)  in  the  constitutional  and  other 
history  of  England.  They  seemed  to  be  very  destitute 
of  any  notions  as  to  the  government  or  public  relations 
of  their  own  country.  Charles  H[eimann]  is  now  at  Hiogo 
in  Japan,  near  the  residence  of  the  Mikado,  and  at  the  end 
of  an  immense  arm  of  the  sea :  he  still  continues  quite  en- 
thusiastic about  Japan.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  29  August. —  .  .  .  Called  on  Woolner.  His 
statue  of  Sassoon  is  finished ;  Virgilia  begun  in  marble ; 
PaJmerston  nearly  finished  in  clay ;  Ophelia  getting  on  in 
marble.  This  is  for  Jenner,*  a  companion  to  the  Elaine — 
of  which  W[oolner]  means  to  do  a  replica.  The  Ophelia 
does  not  seem  to  me  successful :  shoulders  too  narrow,  arms 
wanting  composition,  chest  wanting  form,  general  proportion 
not  satisfying  to  the  eye,  though  possibly  it  is  not  much  out 
by  measurement.  Still,  the  mental  conception  of  the  figure 
has  value.  Sassoon  very  good  :  Palmerston  also  satisfactory 
from  most  points  of  view,  but  looks  too  attitudinizing  to  me, 
especially  the  right  arm  when  seen  fronting.  I  looked  at 
the  numerous  pictures  and  sketches  which  W[oolner]  has 

Mr  Jenner  of  Edinburgh  ;  a  relative  (Brother,  I  think)  of  Sir 
William  Jenner  the  Physician. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868 


325 


lately  collected,  most  of  them  absurdly  cheap  :  and,  after  the 
sarcastic  tone  adopted  by  Hunt,  was  surprised  at  the  range 
of  merit  they  exhibit.  Some  old-master  drawings  are  clearly 
very  fine — Vandyck,  Titian,  Tintoret,  etc.  ;  also  Turner's 
water-colour  Martigny^  Lewis's  celebrated  Lion  and  Lioness 
(done,  as  W[oolner]  informs  me,  at  seventeen,  and  the  work 
which  established  L[ewis]'s  great  reputation  in  that  line). 
Others  may  be  more  open  to  difference  of  opinion,  but  seem 
to  me  decidedly  fine — as  a  Crome  Moonrise,  Girtin  Sea  painted 
in  oils,  small  Constable,  Turner  study  of  fish,  and  some  impor- 
tant landscapes  by  the  same.  Some  others  remain  over  which 
I  care  little  about :  and  a  moderate  proportion  may  be  of 
questionable  genuineness.  There  is  so  little  light  in  the  rooms 
that  I  could  not  make  the  close  examination  which  would 
be  needed  for  forming  much  of  an  opinion  as  to  this.  Al- 
together however  I  could  very  conscientiously  congratulate 
W[oolner]  on  his  collection,  formed  very  quick  and  very 
cheap.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  30  Aiigust. — Gabriel  is  still  uncertain  where  he 
shall  go  to,  or  when  :  still  wavers  towards  Penkill,  or  perhaps 
Stratford-on-Avon.  He  says  that  Warington  Taylor  is 
now,  comparatively  speaking  and  for  the  time  being,  well. 
Taylor's  decorative  enthusiasm  led  him  to  order  of  Stennett, 
months  ago,  a  coffin  for  himself  according  to  a  particular 
specimen,  picked  out  from  others  submitted  to  him  by  order  ; 
and  he  vigorously  impressed  upon  S[tennett]  the  necessity 
of  "  No  nails."  .  .  . 

Friday^  4  September. — Dined  with  Woolner ;  to  whom, 
finding  him  a  great  admirer  of  Cotman,  1  gave  the  series  of 
etchings  by  that  artist,  of  Norfolk  Churches  etc.,  which  I 
bought  some  while  ago.  Watts,*  who  went  to  Australia 
some  ten  years  ago,  was  here :  I  find  he  is  now  writing  on 
The  Standard.  Also  Baines,  the  African  traveller,  illustrator 
of  books  by  Livingstone  etc.  :  though  short,  a  handsome, 
strong,  determined-looking  man,  with  a  slow  utterance. 
According  to  him,  no  one  likes  Livingstone  personally,  and 

*  T.  E.  Watts,  who  delivered  and  published  a  Lecture  on  Tennyson  ; 
nothing  to  do  with  Watts-Dunton. 


326 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Livingstone's  Brother  was  an  encumbrance  to  the  whole 
expedition  in  which  he  joined.  It  seems  that,  the  Brother 
and  Baines  being  stationary  at  some  point  while  L[ivingstone] 
himself  had  gone  on  elsewhither,  the  Brother  accused  B[aines] 
of  filching  some  stores ;  and  L[ivingstone],  without  asking 
for  any  explanation,  wrote  from  his  remote  locality  dismissing 
B[aines],  and  has  ever  since  refused  repeated  applications  for 
a  proper  investigation.  All  that  B[aines]  has  as  yet  been 
able  to  obtain  is  a  written  admission  from  the  Foreign-Office 
that  he  has  demanded  an  enquiry,  which  however  the  Office 
does  not  think  it  expedient  after  this  lapse  of  time  to  grant. 
Though  expressing  a  strong  sense  of  wrong,  B[aines]  does 
not  run  L[ivingstone]  down  ;  on  the  recent  expedition  to 
verify  the  question  of  his  death,  he  volunteered  to  go,  but  it 
was  thought  better  to  decline  his  services.  He  now  wants 
to  start  off  on  an  Australian  exploration.  Knows  Du 
Chaillu,  and  is  satisfied  the  admitted  errors  in  his  books  raise 
no  suspicion  as  to  their  substantial  genuineness. 

Saturday,  5  September. —  .  .  .  Called  at  Chelsea  to 
ascertain  whether  Gabriel  is  gone.  Find  he  started  last 
Tuesday :  he  has  been  to  Stratford  and  Warwick — the 
latter  being  the  last  address  he  has  given.  I  don't  as  yet 
know  whether  he  thinks  of  going  on  to  Penkill.  Dunn  is 
at  present  with  him.  Finished  off  my  essay  on  Italian 
Cou  rtesy- Books. 

Sunday,  6  September. — Wrote  asking  Kirkup  ...  to 
accept  the  dedication  of  this  Essay.  Began  reading  Boccac- 
cio's Filostrato  and  Chaucer's  Troylus,  for  the  collation  I 
have  promised  to  make  of  the  two  for  the  Chaucer 
Society.  .  .  . 

Monday,  7  September. — Brown  called  in  Euston  Square. 
He  says  that  Swinburne  was  lately  invited  to  stand  for 
Parliament,  for  some  place  in  or  near  the  Isle  of  Wight,* 
but  that  he  declined.  I  suppose  this  must  have  been  an 
invitation  from  the  extreme  Democrats :  all  his  expenses 
were  to  be  paid.    B[rown]  thinks  Gabriel  ought  to  go  more 

*  The  Swinburne  family,  at  one  time  or  other,  were  settled  in  the 
Ible  of  Wight. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868 


327 


into  society  ;  and  especially  that  he  should  set  apart  a  whole 
afternoon  and  evening — say  Saturday  from  3 — for  receiving 
visitors  in  his  studio,  and  entertaining  such  as  he  might  find 
it  convenient  to  retain.  .  .  .  Nolly  (not  quite  fourteen  yet) 
is  painting  a  picture  of  Jason  Delivered  in  Infancy  to  the 
Centaur :  he  is  doing  the  background  in  Hatfield  Park.  He 
has  also  designed  Danae  in  the  Boat  discovered  by  Fishermen, 
horses  exercised  on  the  seashore,  etc.  B[ro\vn]  has  joined 
with  other  Marylebone  voters  in  signing  a  requisition  for 
Hepworth  Dixon  to  present  himself  as  a  candidate. 

Tuesday,  8  September. — Sent  round  to  Furnivall  the 
Essay  on  Italian  Courtesy-Books.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  12  September. — Gabriel  called  in  Euston  Square. 
His  head  and  general  health  are  for  the  present  right  enough  ; 
his  want  of  sleep  still  vexatious,  but  less  so  than  it  has  been ; 
his  eyes  bad.  The  objects  flicker  before  him  ;  and,  even 
when  his  eyes  are  shut,  that  condition  of  things  is  not  put 
a  stop  to.  His  idea  as  to  visiting  Coblentz  is  merely  to  go 
there  to  see  the  great  oculist  (Mohrer  or  some  such  name),* 
and  then  return.  .  .  . 

Monday,  14  September. —  .  .  .  Wrote  to  .  .  .  Furnivall 
.  .  .  to  say  that  probably  I  would  go  the  length  of 
translating  all  such  portions  of  the  Filostrato  as  are  para- 
phrased in  the  Troylus. 

Tuesday,  15  September. — Gabriel  has  now  consulted 
Marshall — who,  like  other  medical  men,  tells  him  there  is 
nothing  locally  wrong  with  his  sight,  but  that  that  is 
influenced  by  the  brain  :  he  does  not  encourage  him  to  go 
to  Coblentz,  as  being  purposeless.  However,  G[abriel]  says 
that  his  sight  goes  on  rapidly  worsening,  and  that,  if  it 
continues  at  the  present  rate,  he  will  certainly  be  blind  by 
Christmas :  he  still  paints  a  little  from  day  to  day,  but 
with  effort — being  engaged  to-day  on  the  blue-silk  drapery 
of  a  half-figure  of  Mrs  Morris  commissioned  by  Mr  Graham 
for  ^500.t    He  talks  of  making  a  deed  of  gift  of  all  his 

*  He  did  not  ever  do  this. 

t  This  developed  into  the  picture  named  Mariana  {^Measure  for 
Measure), 


328 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


property  to  me  ;  so  that,  whatever  may  befall  himself,  I 
may  be  empowered  to  do  the  best  for  all  parties  con- 
cerned. He  also  strongly  deprecates  any  posthumous 
exhibiting  of  his  collected  works,  on  the  ground  that  he 
has  never  done  anything  to  satisfy  his  own  standard.  But 
I  am  still  much  in  hopes  that  all  these  gloomy  anticipations 
will  be  dispelled  in  due  course  of  time. 

Wednesday,  i6  September. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  came  round  to 
Euston  Square  ;  and  not  very  long  after  him  enter  Woolner. 
They  have  not  met  at  all,  I  suppose,  these  three  or  four 
years  ;  and  there  has  indeed  been  an  entire  estrangement 
and  even  animosity  between  them.  However,  to  my  relief, 
they  saluted  amicably  enough,  and  interchanged  talk  with- 
out any  constraint ;  and  I  am  in  hopes  this  meeting  may 
do  much  to  smoothe  down  the  asperities.  Woolner  has 
nearly  finished  his  clay  model  of  the  Palnievston,  which  is 
to  be  in  bronze.  Hunt  has  been  in  Naples,  and  is  now 
back  in  Florence.  Gabriel  asked  Woolner  some  particulars 
as  to  the  affection  of  eyesight  from  which  W[oolner]  has 
more  than  once  suffered  these  two  or  three  years.  It 
seems  that  the  man  who  set  him  right  (with  no  relapse  of 
any  serious  consequence  since  then)  was  the  surgeon  and 
oculist  Critchett,  who  (unlike  some  previous  doctors)  pro- 
nounced the  disease  to  be  rheumatism  of  the  eye,  and 
very  rapidly  effected  a  cure — and  in  whom,  on  this  and 
other  grounds,  W[oolner]  has  the  most  extreme  confidence. 
G[abriel]  then  referred  to  his  own  case ;  and  W[oolner] 
urgently  advises  him  to  go  forthwith  to  Critchett,  which 
G[abriel]  is  quite  minded  to  do :  he  himself  has  already 
some  acquaintance  with  C[ritchett],  and  likes  him,  though 
he  was  not  aware  of  the  exceptional  eminence  as  an  oculist 
which  W[oolner]  attributes  to  him.  To-day  G[abriel]  has 
felt  some  pains  at  the  back  of  his  head.  This  is  to  him 
an  unpleasant  symptom  ;  inasmuch  as  one  or  more  of  his 
doctors  had  heretofore  asked  him  whether  he  felt  any 
such  pains,  and,  on  being  told  not,  had  replied  that  in 
that  case  there  was  nothing  locally  wrong  with  the  eyes. 
— Brown   (as   Mrs   B[rown]   tells   us)   has    to-day  taken 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  329 


Nolly  round  to  Richmond  Park,  to  look  out  for  a  spot 
whence  his  background  can  be  carried  on :  they  wish 
Nolly  to  get  this  water-colour  ready  for  next  Dudley 
Gallery,  or,  failing  that,  for  the  R.A.  G[abriel]  says  that 
B[rown]  makes  his  Son  work  on  the  strict  Praeraphaelite 
system.  .  .  . 

Friday,  i8  September. — Gabriel  called  at  Mr  Critchett's 
yesterday,  but  found  he  is  out  of  town.  He  says  his  eyes 
are  to-day  worse  than  ever :  has  now  written  to  Scott  at 
Penkill,  proposing  to  join  him.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  22  September. —  .  .  .  Howell  was  at  Chelsea,  and 
says  he  has  seen  Marshall,  who  assures  him  that  Gabriel's 
eyes  are  right ;  that  his  health  is  for  a  while  broken  down 
by  overstraining,  late  hours,  etc.,  and  will  require  some  little 
time  for  recovering,  but  will  also  be  right  with  proper  atten- 
tion. Bowman  called  to-day,  and  also  repeats  that  the  eyes 
are  unharmed :  he  bought  for  1 50  guineas  a  copy  *  lately 
finished  of  the  Bocca  Baciata.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  24  September.  —  Called  to  see  Chapman's 
pictures.-}-  .  .  .  The  picture  begun  from  Christina's  "  Three 
sang  of  love  together  "  seems  to  me  incurably  mulled,  and  not 
likely  to  come  to  anything — though  this  too  has  his  charac- 
teristic merits. 

Friday,  25  September. — I  learn  at  Chelsea  that  Gabriel  left 
on  Wednesday — first  for  Leeds,  and  purposing  to  go  on 
thence  to  Penkill.  .  .  . 

Friday,  2  October. — Maria  understands  that  her  Italian 
Exercise-book  has  been  by  no  means  successful  as  yet :  only 
about  80  copies  of  the  book  itself  having  sold,  and  50  of  the 
Key.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  7  October. — Dunn  has  received  another  letter 
from  Gabriel  saying  that  he  has  not  settled  when  to  return. 
His  eyes  would  not  allow  of  his  working  for  the  present,  and 
he  gives  directions  about  setting  up  green  blinds  in  the 
studio.  .  .  . 

It  took  a  new  name,  La  Bioiida  del  Balcone. 
t  See  the  note  to  p.  195. 


330 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Friday^  g  October. —  Paul  *  called  on  me  at  Somerset 
House.  .  .  .  He  says  that  the  lady  lately  married  by  Hannay 
is  his  Cousin,  Miss  H[annay] :  the  whole  family  has  gone 
with  H[annay]  to  Barcelona.  .  .  .  Boyce's  house  (where 
Gabriel  used  to  live,  14  Chatham  Place)  is  now  in  a  dangerous 
condition  through  the  demolitions  adjoining,  and  he  has 
received  a  warning  of  the  expediency  of  removing  his 
effects.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  13  October. — Several  friends  in  the  evening  at 
Euston  Square.  Nolly  Brown  is  diligently  painting  his 
background  in  Richmond  Park.  Morris  has  been  learning 
Icelandic  ;  having  undertaken,  along  with  an  Icelander,  to 
translate  an  Icelandic  legend  of  ancient  date,  thickly  inter- 
spersed with  verses.  He  has  an  idea  of  translating  the 
Nibelungenlied  some  day  :  The  Earthly  Paradise  ought  to  be 
completed  within  about  a  year.  He  is  now  doing  the  story 
of  Bellerophon.  Lucy  Brown  says  that  she  not  long 
ago  witnessed  this  at  the  Zoological  Gardens.  There  had 
been  two  Chimpanzees,  one  of  them  named  Tom.  Tom 
died.  The  keeper,  one  day  that  L[ucy]  was  there,  spoke 
of  Tom  to  the  surviving  Chimpanzee,  which  exhibited  a 
conscious  and  emotional  appearance,  and  the  tears  came  into 
its  eyes.  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  written  to  Brown,  saying  that  one 
bad  symptom  of  his  eyes — that  of  seeing  flashes  etc.  when 
the  eyes  are  closed — is  waning.  Brown  says  that  the  recent 
invitation  to  Swinburne  to  stand  for  Parliament  came  from 
the  Reform-League,  and  was  declined  by  S[winburne]  on  the 
express  advice  of  Mazzini.  Also  that  the  mot  d'ordre  of 
the  Revolutionary  Junto  at  the  present  day  is  not  to  have 
any  single  republics  set  up  (as  the  question,  for  instance,  now 
stands  in  Spain),  as  these  would  be  almost  sure  to  fail ;  but 
to  wait  until  two  or  three  can  be  started  together,  .  .  . 

Friday^  16  October. —  .  .  .  Another  letter  from  Gabriel, 
giving  much  the  same  account  as  hitherto  of  his  eyesight  and 
general  health :  the  period  of  his  return  continues  quite 
uncertain,  and  his  liking  for  Penkill  has  reached  the  point  of 

*  Benjamin  Horatio  Paul,  a  Scientific  Chemist,  whom  we  had  known 
through  Hannay  :  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  him  towards  1854. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTl— DIARY,  1868 


331 


a  vague  project  of  renting  the  place  altogether  for  a  half-year. 
Halliday  dined  at  Chelsea.  He  is  forty-five  years  of  age,  and 
speaks  with  very  little  contentment  of  his  bachelor-condition. 
He  says  Millais's  present  way  of  painting  is  to  set  the  model 
and  canvas  near  together ;  and  continually  to  retire  many 
paces  from  the  canvas,  glance  at  the  model,  and  go  up  again 
to  lay-on  a  new  touch  or  two.  His  doctrine  is  that  nothing 
is  done  until  the  model  and  the  painted  figure  are  so  much 
alike  that  one  might  almost  take  the  one  for  the  other  in 
a  momentary  glance.  Halliday  says  that  M[illais]  is  ex- 
ceedingly liberal  and  kindly  in  money-matters,  eager  as  he 
is  at  money-making.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  20  October. —  ...  A  letter  from  Gabriel,  say- 
ing that  he  will  probably  return  next  Tuesday,  along  with 
Scott.  He  also  says  that  he  is  not  better  than  when  he 
left — which  refers,  I  presume,  wholly  or  chiefly  to  the  eyes. 
This  is  bad  news.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  24  October. — Stillman  writes  wishing  me  to  see 
Dilberoglue  about  a  military-Cretan  project  of  Coroneos,  and 
a  fund  of  ;^  10,000  to  be  raised  therefor.  This  looks  rather 
a  formidable  modicum.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  29  October. —  .  .  .  Dilberoglue  came  by  appoint- 
ment in  the  evening,  and  promised  to  see  what  could  be  done 
among  the  Greeks  for  the  new  subscription  suggested  by 
Stillman  :  he  says  the  suggestion  comes  a  little  inopportunely, 
as  it  is  only  six  weeks  ago  that  the  Greeks  had  been  getting 
up  another  subscription  for  Cretan  purposes.  The  name 
Dilberoglue  is  not  Greek,  but  Turkish  :  it  means  "  hand- 
some "  or  something  to  that  effect.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  31  October. — Another  letter  from  Gabriel,  again 
fixing  Tuesday  next  for  his  return.  He  still  says  that  his 
eyes  are  not  better. 

Sunday,  i  November. — Wrote  to  Payne  (of  Moxon's) 
about  the  suggestion  he  had  made  in  April  last  as  to  my  re- 
editing  Shelley.  As  nothing  has  been  done  in  the  matter 
since  his  calling  at  Somerset  House  at  Whitsuntide,  when  I 
was  away,  I  now  propose  to  call  on  him  on  Thursday 
next.  .  .  . 


332 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Monday,  2  November. — Stephens  writes  me  that  a  son  was 
born  to  him  on  Saturday. — Met  Morris  and  a  few  others  at 
Woolner's.  M[orris]  has  got  on  with  his  Icelandic  transla- 
tion, and  expects  to  have  it  out  soon  after  Christmas.  Pal- 
grave  has  been  lately  in  Gladstone's  company ;  and  finds 
that,  with  all  his  occupations,  he  has  been  making  leisure  to 
write  a  kind  of  index  of  character  for  the  personages  of  The 
Iliad.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  3  November. — Gabriel  came  back  to-night  from 
Penkill.  He  says  his  eyes  are  decidedly  not  better,  though 
on  the  whole  I  think  he  seems  a  little  less  despondent  about 
their  essential  condition.  .  .  .  Scott  has  finished  his  pictures 
on  the  Penkill  staircase,  done  some  landscapes  of  which 
G[abriel]  speaks  very  well,  and  has  also  been  occupied  in 
translating  the  diary  of  Albert  Durer.  He  has  now  returned 
to  town  with  G[abriel]. 

Wednesday,  4  November. — Finished  the  actual  collating 
of  Chaucer's  Troylus  with  Boccaccio's  Filostrato. 

Thursday,  5  November. — Called  on  J.  B.  Payne  with 
regard  to  the  Shelley  project.  He  says  that  Hogg  left  the 
Life  of  Shelley  finished,  but  that  the  family  is  averse  from 
its  appearing ;  that  Garnett  had  an  idea  of  writing  a  Life, 
and  had  collected  some  materials,  but  that  this  also  is  in 
abeyance,  and  may  probably  not  be  done ;  and  that  the 
objection  of  Sir  P[ercy]  Shelley  to  full  details  concerning  the 
death  of  the  first  Mrs  S[helley],  followed  by  the  second 
marriage  of  S[helley],  is  understood  to  arise  from  the  fact 
that  Sir  P[ercy]  was  born  only  about  a  month  after  the 
second  marriage,*  and  some  pains  had  to  be  taken  to  prove 
his  legitimacy.  The  first  Wife,  Payne  says,  became  strictly 
a  prostitute — Shelley  not  having  made  any  arrangements 
for  her  support,  and  being,  after  he  had  left  England,  more 
or  less  in  the  dark  as  to  her  position.  Payne  wishes  my 
editorial  revisions  of  the  text  to  be,  if  practicable,  such  as 
will  not  render  the  stereotype-plates  useless,  but  only  entail 

*  In  my  Diary  I  recorded  this  statement  of  Mr  Payne's,  simply  as  it 
was  made.  At  a  later  date,  finding  the  statement  to  be  egregiously 
wrong,  I  wrote  against  it  "  wholly  incorrect." 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  333 

alterations  here  and  there :  he  concurs  in  my  proposal  of 
occasional  notes,  accompanying  the  actual  revision  of  text. 
For  this  work  I  proposed  to  charge  ^30,  to  which  he  at  once 
acceded  :  indeed,  I  suspect  it  was  sensibly  less  than  he  had 
expected  to  be  asked.  As  to  the  Life,  he  does  not  contem- 
plate (though  neither  is  he  altogether  adverse  to)  a  full  Life 
forming  a  separate  book :  his  idea  is  a  prefatory  Life  of  not 
less  than  some  50  nor  more  than  some  100  pages :  this  was 
indeed  my  own  way  of  putting  it.  Enquiries  will  be  made 
of  Garnett,  and  full  consideration  as  to  the  form  of  Life  etc. 
given  ;  and  then  I  will  make  a  separate  undertaking  as  to 
that.  The  next  issue  of  the  Poems  would  not  be  forth- 
coming till  eight  months  or  so  hence.  Payne  seems  to  have 
also  some  undefined  notions  as  to  a  re-edition  and  Life  of 
Coleridge ;  and  I  think  it  possible  that  he  might  eventually 
make  some  proposal  to  me  on  this  subject  also.  He  is  to 
send  me  at  once  the  various  editions  of  Shelley  in  his 
possession  ;  and  I  shall  thence  set  to  work  on  the  text. — I 
find  he  has  {yaleat  quaiituvi)  an  unfavourable  impression  as 
to  the  character  of  Tennyson,*  and  runs  him  down  even  as 
a  poet :  he  regards  him  as  selfish,  narrow  in  money-matters, 
not  of  lively  affections :  he  is  punctilious  in  paying  his  score 
in  company,  and  expecting  his  companions  to  pay  theirs.  .  .  . 
For  my  own  part  I  have  always  greatly  liked  Tennyson  in 
personal  intercourse ;  and  seen  in  him  evidence  of  deep  affec- 
tions and  much  open  confidence  and  kindliness. — Began  in 
the  evening  translating  those  passages  of  Boccaccio's  Filo- 
strato  which  are  adapted  in  Chaucer's  Troylus. — Dilberoglue 
finds  the  Greeks  here  not  ready  to  subscribe  for  the  fund 
proposed  by  Stillman  to  carry  on  operations  by  Coroneos  in 
Crete. 

Friday^  6  November. — Gabriel  consulted  Rose  yesterday 
as  to  the  proposed  deed  of  gift — or  now  rather  bill  of  sale 
— in  my  favour  (see  18  September).  Rose  says  that  any 
such  document  would  have  to  be  registered,  and  would  no 
doubt  be  protested  against  by  creditors,  and  probably  set 

It  will  be  understood  that  the  Firm  of  Moxon  &  Co.,  represented  by 
Mr  Payne,  were  as  yet  the  Publishers  of  Tennyson's  poems. 


334 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


aside.  .  .  .  G[abriel]  has  not  yet  resumed  painting ;  but 
proposes  doing  so  to-morrow,  taking  only  moderate  spells 
of  work.*  .  .  .  He  wrote  a  letter  to  Ernest  Chesneau  to- 
day, correcting  some  of  the  errors  concerning  Pmeraphael- 
itism,  G[abriel],  Ruskin,  etc.,  in  his  book  on  Fine  Art. 
Brown  spent  the  evening  with  us  at  Chelsea.  .  .  .  His 
advice  is  that  G[abriel]  should  go  abroad  for  four  or  five 
months — say  to  Italy  or  Portugal :  he  also  spoke  highly  of 
Montreuil  near  Boulogne.  G[abriel],  who  was  in  very  good 
spirits  all  the  evening,  seems  less  indisposed  to  such  a  plan 
than  he  usually  has  been.  .  .  . 

Monday,  9  November. —  .  .  .  Have  begun  reading  up 
for  the  Life  of  Shelley,  commencing  with  Hogg :  Payne 
has  not  yet  sent  round  the  editions  of  the  poems  for  my 
revising. 

Tuesday,  10  November. —  .  .  .  Ruskin's  love-affair 
(according  to  Howell  as  reported  by  Gabriel)  is  over.  .  .  . 
Howell  went  to  Ireland,  to  try  to  get  over  the  difficulties  ; 
and  he  says  he  disguised  himself  as  a  tramp  or  labourer 
to  obtain  an  interview,  but  without  effecting  the  desired 
change  of  sentiment.  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  not  as  yet  set-to 
at  painting,  but,  in  spirits  at  least,  seems  much  fortified.  .  .  . 

Friday,  13  November. —  .  .  .  Mamma  tells  me  that  my 
Aunt  Eliza  says  that,  on  Wednesday  morning  about  3, 
when  I  was  in  fact  in  bed  at  Chelsea,  she  heard  me  most 
distinctly  walk  up  the  stairs  at  Euston  Square,  going  to 
bed ;  pass  her  door  as  I  always  do ;  and  call  out  (as  I 
never  do)  Good  night,  Aunt  Eliza  " — to  which  she  responded. 
She  was  neither  asleep  nor  even  in  bed — but  up  and  wide 
awake  (to  take  medicine  or  some  such  purpose,  I  presume). 
This  is  singular :  for  not  only  is  my  Aunt  the  least  fanciful 
person  in  London,  but,  as  such  an  incident  as  that  of  the 
good-night  has  never  once  occurred  at  all,  she  cannot  be 
confounding  one  night  with  another,  nor  could  she  have 
fancied  the  thing  through  any  mere  habit  or  preconception. 

*  Here  follows  a  detailed  account  of  the  condition  of  my  Brother's 
eyesight.  I  extracted  it  in  the  Memoir  published  in  1895,  and  I  there- 
fore omit  it  here, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868 


335 


I  was  not  (I  think)  dreaming  of  her  at  the  time,  nor  had 
I  in  any  way  been  particularly  thinking  of  her.  Was  it 
my  wraith? — Swinburne  and  Scott  dined  at  Chelsea,  and 
Brown  came  in  the  evening.  Swinburne  says  he  has 
written  nothing  of  late.  .  .  .  He  came  back  a  fortnight  or 
so  ago  from  his  friend  Powell's  at  Etretat :  was  nearly 
drowned  there  one  day,  which  happened  to  be  the  equi- 
noctial tide,  when  he  had  gone  out  swimming.  Had  to 
swim -on  some  three  miles  and  an  hour  or  nearly,  the  sea 
carrying  him  irresistibly  out — till  at  last  a  fishing-boat 
picked  him  up.  Says  he  felt  no  compunctions  or  religious 
impressions  in  the  prospect  of  death.  Has  seen  a  pieitvre 
— very  loathsome :  the  fishermen  say  it  is  not  (as  repre- 
sented by  V[ictor]  Hugo)  formidable,  because  it  never 
attacks. — Brown  attended  a  meeting  for  Mill's  parliamentary 
candidature — having  been  invited  to  join  his  Committee. — 
Mr  Purchase,  the  Brighton  clergyman  now  making  so  much 
noise  in  the  way  of  ritualism,  is^  as  I  thought,  the  same 
one  who  wrote  to  Swinburne  eulogizing  the  Poems  and 
Ballads  at  the  time  when  the  phials  of  wrath  were  being 
emptied  thereon. 

Saturday^  14  Novevdyer. — Swinburne  and  I  had  been 
talking  last  night  about  Shelley's  Poems  by  Peg  Nicholsofi 
(to  me  as  yet  unknown) :  and,  strangely  enough,  Swinburne 
has  to-day  found  a  copy  of  this  almost  unattainable  book 
— a  reprint  of  25  copies  having  lately  been  made,  and  one 
of  them  down  in  a  bookseller's  catalogue.  Swinburne  left 
the  book  with  me  at  Somerset  House :  he  is  now  going 
down  to  Holmwood.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  17  November. —  .  .  .  Payne  sent  me  round  the 
editions  of  Shelley  to-night,  for  my  editorial  work. 

Wednesday^  18  November. — The  papers  announce,  to  my 
sorrow,  the  probably  mortal  illness  of  Mazzini. — Began 
revising  Shelley's  poems.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  22  November. — Engaged  with  scarcely  any  pause 
on  the  Shelley  revision.  By  the  help  of  the  DcBmon  of  the 
World,  I  have  now  constructed  a  text  of  Queen  Mab  which 
is  certainly,  I  think,  a  good  deal  preferable  to  any  yet 


336 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


issued.  I  make  incessant  corrections  on  points  of  minor, 
and  some  of  major,  importance  ;  and  consider  that  nothing 
short  of  a  completely  new  edition  will  be  satisfactory.  This 
would  set  aside  the  stereotype-plates  of  one  of  the  now 
current  editions  (say  the  one-volume  edition,  which  is  that 
which  I  am  actually  working  upon) :  the  other  two  stereo- 
typed editions — the  large  single-volume,  and  the  three- 
volumes — might,  if  preferred  and  so  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
remain  unaltered.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  24  November. — Went  with  Dilberoglue  to  the 
Spartalis.  Many  photographs  of  Miss  S[partali]  by  Mrs 
Cameron  lying  about :  only  one,  as  far  as  I  notice,  goes 
pretty  near  to  doing  her  justice.  Dilberoglue  and  I,  as 
we  went  along,  spoke  of  the  rumoured  (but  still  question- 
able) death  of  Mazzini.*  D[ilberoglue]  said  strikingly : 
"  He  was  for  all  those  long  years  the  only  light  in  the 
sick  chamber  of  Europe  —  never  out,  never  flickering." 
D[ilberoglue]  is  naturalized  as  Englishman  :  very  bitter 
against  Layard,  to  oppose  whom  in  these  current  elections 
he,  though  a  decided  Radical,  took  an  active  part  for  the 
Conservative  candidate,  Alderman  Cotton.  Layard  how- 
ever came  in  with  no  difficulty.  .  .  . 

Friday,  27  November. — Gabriel,  being  still,  from  the  state 
of  his  eyes,  unable  to  resume  painting,  has  been  looking 
up  his  poems  of  old  days,  with  some  floating  idea  of  offer- 
ing some  of  them  to  The  Fortnightly  Review,  and  at  any 
rate  with  a  degree  of  zest  which  looks  promising  for  some 
result  with  them.  Scott  is  going  to  offer  to  the  Fortnightly 
his  poem  of  The  Prodigal:  the  Editor  (Morley)  is  inclined 
to  make  poems  of  some  substantial  length  a  feature  of  the 
magazine.  Scott  says  that  Lewes,  in  his  youth,  projected 
a  Life  of  Shelley,  and  was  (he  believes)  in  possession  of 
various  materials  for  the  purpose,  from  Leigh  Hunt  and 
others.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  29  November. — Mamma  reminds  me  of  what  I 
knew  years  ago,  but  had  entirely  forgotten — that,  when  she 
was  with  the  Dickinses  at  Leatherhead,  from  about  18 16 
The  rumour  ofhis  death  was  incorrect. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868  337 


to  1820,  Shelley's  Brother  was  a  pupil  with  the  local  clergy- 
man, Mr  Burmister.  She  remembers  him  as  remarkably 
handsome,  and  as  of  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen.  .  .  .  The 
name  of  Shelley  himself  was  held  in  horror.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  2  December. — Went  to  the  lonides.  .  .  . 
Hullah  (whom  I  see  again  for  the  first  time  after  meeting  him 
years  ago  at  the  Rintouls')  *  expresses  especial  admiration 
of  Christina's  poems. 

Thursday,  3  December.  —  Keeling,  the  wine  -  merchant, 
called  at  Somerset  House.  Hitherto  he  had  neither 
known  nor  thought  anything  about  Spiritualism.  But, 
happening  to  be  lately  with  a  friend  who  paid  some  atten- 
tion to  it,  he  sat  down  to  a  table,  and  was  astounded  to  find 
raps  and  messages  coming  forthwith — tables  and  sideboards 
moving  across  the  floor — etc.  The  messages  seem  chiefly 
to  have  been  confessions  of  damnation  from  infidels  and  bad 
characters — Voltaire,  George  IV.,  Baron  Nicholson,-}- Tiberius. 
It  seems  however  that  the  only  indication  of  this  damnation 
was  that  three — or  still  worse  two — raps  were  given  in  reply 
to  the  question  whether  the  spirit  was  in  a  happy  or  unhappy 
condition.  No  fully  defined  messages  in  words  were  given ; 
and  Keeling  had  indeed  heard  nothing  about  the  customary 
use  of  the  alphabet.  This  interpretation  of  two  or  three  raps 
is  new  to  me.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  6  December. — Write  to  Dilberoglue,  sending  him 
a  long  extract  from  Stillman's  last  letter  concerning  the 
proposed  expedition  of  Coroneos  :  to  Tupper,  agreeing  to 
prospective  Roman  trip  towards  end  of  March  ;  to  Allingham 
on  various  Shelley  points,  etc. 

Monday,  7  December. — Gabriel  has  now  resumed  work  ; 
having  begun  some  crayon  heads  of  Mrs  Morris  as  Pandora 
etc.    He  gets  on  with  a  fair  amount  of  comfort.  .  .  . 

*  Hullah,  the  Musical  Teacher  and  Conductor.  Mr  Rintoul  was 
Editor  of  The  Spectator  when  I  became  (1850)  the  Art-critic  for  that 
paper. 

t  Baron  Nicholson  is  perhaps  forgotten  now.  He  was  (among  other 
ventures)  a  Tavern-keeper  in  the  Strand,  and  got  up  the  so-called  "Judge 
and  Jury  Society,"  which  did  not  promote  the  cause  of  moral  purity. 

Y 


338 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Wednesday,  g  December. — Scott  called  to  look  into  my 
Shelley  notes  and  revisions.  He  very  generally  approved  of 
them  ;  and  indeed  urges  that  several  of  those  revisions  which 
I  have  only  ventured  to  suggest  in  notes  should  be  at  once 
incorporated  in  the  text.  In  one  or  two  cases  I  may  act 
upon  this  advice  at  once  :  in  others  I  think  of  consulting 
Swinburne  and  Allingham  before  deciding  anything.  If  they 
were  to  agree  with  Scott,  I  should  probably  conform. 
However,  I  am  very  much  against  rash  or  fancy  emendations 
of  a  text. 

Thursday,  lo  December. — Acted  accordingly  with  regard 
to  the  Shelley  notes. 

Friday,  1 1  December. — Gabriel  came  to  Euston  Square, 
and  asked  to  hear  some  of  my  Shelley  notes.  He  is  quite  as 
decided  as  Scott,  or  more  so,  in  thinking  that  certain  emenda- 
tions should  be  at  once  introduced  into  the  text ;  indeed, 
he  would  make  conjectural  and  unnotified  emendations  to 
an  extent  which  I  consider  decidedly  inexpedient — on  this 
ground  if  no  other,  that  outsiders  would  raise  numberless 
objections  against  the  edition,  and  it  would  fall  into 
disrepute.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  15  December. — Dilberoglue  writes,  giving  a 
distinct  negative  to  any  chance  of  promoting  among  the 
Greeks  here  Stillman's  project  of  a  Cretan  invasion  by 
Coroneos. 

Wednesday,  16  December. — Macfarren  has  made  a  Cantata 
of  Christina's  Songs  in  a  Cornfield :  she  received  the  publica- 
tion from  him  this  morning.  Tebbs  enquires  whether  Gabriel 
would  lend  any  of  his  six-mark  china  for  an  exhibition  at 
the  Burlington  Club,  to  which  Huth  and  others  contribute. 
The  main  object  is  to  test  the  statement,  still  maintained  by 
several  judges,  that  a  quantity  of  this  sort  of  china  is  forged — 
i.e.,  modern  work  pretending  to  be  three  or  four  centuries  old. 
For  instance,  some  pieces  bearing  the  date  of  last  century 
are  found  so  exceedingly  like  others  assigned  to  the  15th 
century  that  a  suspicion  arises  against  any  such  great 
difference  of  date. 

Thursday,  17  December. — Replied  to  a  note  from  Furni- 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1868 


339 


vail,  expressing  my  readiness  to  look  at  what  Ward  is  doing 
relative  to  Chaucer  and  the  Teseide^  and  to  talk  over  the 
matter  with  him. 

Friday,  i8  December. — Gabriel  asked  Scott  and  Brown, 
with  myself,  to  meet  Nettleship,  who  brought  his  strange 
Blakeish  designs  of  God  creating  Evil  etc.  He  is  deter- 
mined to  be  a  professional  artist  :  his  stock  of  money  will 
last  him  about  a  year.  We  all,  and  I  very  decidedly,  regard 
it  as  a  bad  look-out  ;  as,  spite  of  his  obvious  force  of  ideas, 
his  executive  unadaptabilities  are  glaring,  and  I  should  fear 
hardly  conquerable* — at  any  rate,  for  pecuniary  success. 
His  age  is  twenty-seven.  The  idea  was  started  that  the  best 
thing  for  him  to  do  at  once  might  be  to  illustrate  some 
congenial  book ;  get  Browning  to  write  a  preface,  or  other- 
wise to  take  it  under  his  wing  ;  and  offer  it  to  a  publisher. 
I  proposed  the  Prometheus  Unbound :  a  suggestion  received 
with  favour.  Showed  him  some  Hokusais  and  other 
Japanese  work  which  took  him  aback  by  their  power.  He 
himself  has  an  excellently  good  feeling  for  studies  of  animals. 
.  .  .  Howell  and  others  are  projecting  an  "  Arts  Company 
Limited"  —  Marks  as  business-man. f  H[owell]  asked 
Gabriel  to  take  a  share  in  it :  he  will  do  so  to  the  extent  of 
i^2  50  in  the  form  of  works  of  art  supplied.  Morris  and 
Co.  will  supply  goods  at  a  reduced  rate. — Gabriel  has  just 
written  a  series  of  four  sonnets — Willow-wood — about  the 
finest  thing  he  has  done.  I  see  the  poetical  impulse  is  upon 
him  again  :  he  even  says  he  ought  never  to  have  been  a 
painter,  but  a  poet  instead. 

Saturday,  19  December. — Gabriel  wrote  a  sonnet  on 
Death  at  Euston  Square.  Tupper,  who  called  on  me  at 
Somerset  House,  wishes  to  do  a  medallion-head  of  me  ; 
and  that,  with  a  view  to  this,  I  should  sit  for  a  profile- 
photograph. 

Sunday,  20  December. — Wrote   to    Parsons   about  the 

*  I  need  scarcely  say  that  Mr  Nettleship,  settling  down  into  a 
different  class  of  pictorial  subjects,  coped  with  and  fairly  surmounted 
his  difficulties. 

t  I  hardly  know  whether  or  how  far  this  project  was  realized. 


340 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


photographing  project ;  to  Stillman  telHng  him  that  Dilbero- 
glue  can't  get  up  the  Coroneos-raid  subscription  ;  etc.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  24  December,  to  Wednesday,  30  December.— 
Gloucester  from  26  December  with  my  Uncle  Henry. 

Thursday,  3 1  December. — Returned  to  London  :  fine  day — 
free  from  frost,  but  sufficiently  like  winter.  In  pursuance  of 
something  I  had  heard  from  Uncle  H[enry],  I  asked  Aunt 
C[harlotte]  whether  she  had  any  journals  of  her  Brother  John 
making  mention  of  Shelley.  She  has  such  a  journal,  appli- 
cable to  the  year  1816 ;  it  contains  one  or  two  Shelley  items 
which  will  be  useful.  .  .  .  An  Echo- Song  of  Christina's  has 
been  set  to  music  by  Miss  V[irginia]  Gabriel,  and  is  dedicated 
to  me. 


176. — Thomas  Dixon  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  first  copy  of  Leaves  of  Grass  that  I  possessed  or  saw 
came  to  me  from  W.  Bell  Scott :  to  him  from  Thomas  Dixon, 
who  bought  a  copy  or  two  which  he  observed  hawked  about 
in  his  town. — The  remark  upon  "  one  now  no  more  "  refers 
to  his  deceased  Wife.] 

15  Sunderland  Street,  Sunderland. 
16  Jajiuary  1868. 

Dear  Sir, —  ...  I  am  truly  glad  to  find  you  so  highly 
appreciate  Whitman,  and  like  exceedingly  the  spirit  in  which 
you  write  me  of  him  ;  and  the  one  reason  amongst  many 
that  first  made  me  love  you  and  your  family  was  that  deep 
sympathy  of  love  you  all  had  for  the  true,  beautiful,  and 
natural,  in  either  Nature,  literature,  or  art.  .  .  .  W.  B. 
Scott  was  my  first  master  ;  to  him  I  owe  your  friendship.  .  .  . 
I  was  glad  to  hear  you  got  Leaves  of  Grass  ;  for  I  never  have 
such  books  but  I  love  them,  and  long  to  know  where  they 
are,  and  if  in  loving  hands.  .  .  . 

I  would  like  you  to  get  the  little  book  Time  and  Tide,  for 
in  it  there  is  some  stray  ideas  of  mine  that  I  would  fain  know 


DR  FURNIVALL,  18G8 


341 


how  they  fall  in  with  your  own  on  similar  topics,  and  also  to 
learn  how  far  these  utterances  are  true  in  your  experience 
of  them  in  life.  If  the  book  is  liked,  I  fain  would  send  a 
copy  to  your  Sister  whom  I  once  met  at  Scott's  (I  forget  her 
name  now) ;  for  there  is  one  passage  of  it  was  written  by  me 
thinking  over  the  happy  and  pleasant  hours  so  spent  there  by 
one  now  no  more.  It  is  not  the  poetess,  though  I  love  her 
too  through  her  poetry  ;  but  it  is  other  feelings  that  was  made 
manifest  to  me  by  that  Sister  of  yours.  And  her  kind 
remembrance  of  that  afternoon,  and  mention  of  it  to  me 
again  when  I  met  with  her  in  London,  made  me  feel  how 
kind  a  feeling  she  had  to  one  almost  a  stranger  until  a  few 
quiet  simple  utterances  made  them  friends.  .  .  . — Yours 
truly, 

T.  Dixon. 


17;.— Dr  Furnivall  to  William  Rossettl 

3  Old  Square,  Lincoln's  Inn. 
17  Ja7iiiary  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — As  you  kindly  took  trouble  about 
The  Lady  of  Shalott  for  me,  you  are  entitled  to  a  copy  of 
Tennyson's  own  account : — "  I  met  the  story  first  in  some 
Italian  novelle :  but  the  web,  mirror,  island,  etc.,  were  my  own. 
Indeed,  I  doubt  whether  I  should  ever  have  put  it  in  that 
shape  if  I  had  been  then  aware  of  the  Maid  of  Astolat  in 
Mort  Arthur:' 

Fancy  too — he  says  the  Thorolds  of  Lincolnshire  claim  to 
be  descendants  of  Godiva,  and  to  have  deeds  signed  by  her. 
.  .  . — Sincerely  yours, 

F.  J.  Furnivall. 

Tell  Morris  this,  some  day. 


342 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


178.— W.  D.  O'Connor  to  William  Rossettl 

Washington. 
20  January  1868. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  beg  you  will  pardon  my  delay,  wholly 
unavoidable,  in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
1 1  December,  which  I  did  not  expect,  and  which  gratified 
me  very  much. 

I  met  Mr  Whitman  shortly  after  he  had  received  your 
letter  of  December  i6th.  He  had  duly  received  the  previous 
ones  also,  making  three  letters  from  you.  He  is  entirely  satis- 
fied with  your  action,  and  with  Mr  Hotten's,  in  regard  to  the 
London  selection  and  reprint,  and  seems  pleased  with  the 
condition  into  which  that  enterprise  has  been  shaped.  He 
spoke  with  deep  appreciation  of  you  and  your  letters. 

You  apprehend  perfectly,  and  re-state  admirably,  the 
points  I  ventured  to  offer  in  my  letter  to  Mr  Conway  for 
your  consideration.  .  .  .  And  I  .  .  .  accept  with  unaffected 
good-nature,  as  accurately  descriptive  of  my  recorded  admira- 
tion of  our  poet,  the  terms  you  so  good-naturedly  employ. 
Yes — in  our  Western  phrase,  I  acknowledge  the  corn.  "  Un- 
qualified," "  superlative," — I  own  those  two  words  as  well- 
chosen.  And,  if  you  will  not  be  vexed  at  my  saying  so,  I 
am  even  a  little  proud  of  them.  .  .  .  Not  that  I  am  oblivious 
to  the  faults  of  our  poet,  or  of  any  of  the  supreme  poets ; 
for  I  have  fully  satisfied  my  censorious  part  by  alluding  to 
them,  as  in  the  pamphlet  where  I  say,  "  Making  a  fair  allow- 
ance for  faults  which  no  great  poem,  from  Hamlet  to  the 
world  itself,  is  perhaps  without."  .  .  .  My  critical  code,  as 
regards  these  great  ones,  narrows  down  to  two  simple  canons 
— To  accept :  To  admire.  .  .  . 

All  the  geniuses  will  have  a  good  time  with  me.  And 
profoundly  I  feel  Mr  Whitman's  claim  to  rank  as  one  of  them. 
Shakespear  may  excel  him  as  master  of  the  science  of  inter- 
acting passion ;  but  Shakespear,  in  all  his  wondrous  cosmo- 
rama,  has  no  such  figure,  nor  any  figure  at  all,  of  a  man 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  ISGS 


343 


primal  and  abysmal,  a  living  soul  boundless  and  terrible, 
master  and  summit  of  all,  and  resuming  and  surpassing  the 
Universe,  such  as  this  poet  has  created  in  literature  in  that 
section  of  his  work  called  JVa/t  Whitman.  Ages  will  pass 
before  that  thing,  so  done,  can  be  appreciated.  .  .  . — Very 
truly  yours, 

W.  D.  O'Connor. 


179. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

Florence,  Ponte  Vecchio  2. 
14  February  1868. 

My'  dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  Your  idea  is  an  excellent  one 
— a  Biography  of  your  Father,  besides  an  Essay  on  his 
Beatrice.  His  life  was  sufficiently  adventurous  to  be  very 
interesting  to  the  general  public,  besides  his  great  discoveries 
in  the  philosophy  of  literature,  of  the  Middle  Ages  in  general 
and  Dante  in  particular.  .  .  .  There  are  plenty  of  Italians 
who  would  be  glad  enough  —  Pasquale  Villari  of  Naples, 
Alessandro  d'Ancona  of  Pisa,  P.  G.  Maggi  of  Milan,  all 
friends  of  mine. 

I  know  but  little  of  the  Florentines,  and  that  little  is 
not  in  their  favour  —  duplicity  and  vanity.  They  were 
always  reckoned  great  diplomats.  They  were  the  enemies  of 
Dante,  and  are  still,  for  they  have  destroyed  all  the  monu- 
ments of  his  memory  that  remained  in  Florence  when  I  first 
came  here  forty-four  years  ago.  What  might  still  be  saved 
are  disgracefully  neglected  and  falling  to  ruin.  After  their 
fulsome  and  ignorant  vulgar  enthusiasm  for  the  commemora- 
tion, they  have  returned  to  their  wonted  indifference,  and 
even  to  persecution.  Their  ignorant  antiquarians  have 
endeavoured  to  make  out  that  Giotto's  portrait  is  spurious 
— but  their  grounds  are  so  absurd  that  they  are  unworthy 
refutation.  Still,  the  ignorant  join  in  the  hue  and  cry :  and 
so  far  indeed  they  are  right,  for  the  present  repainted  portrait 
has  not  a  line  left  of  Giotto's  beautiful  fresco,  as  you  may 


344 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


see  by  the  correct  tracing  of  it  published  by  the  Arundel 
Society.  It  is  now  epuise  and  the  edition  all  sold,  many 
hundreds ;  and  I  have  lately  made  another  tracing  from 
that,  and  sent  it  to  the  A[rundel]  Society  on  their  promise 
to  publish  a  new  edition  of  it,  which  I  hope  soon  to  see. 
It  is  not  a  fancy-drawing  of  mine.  I  have  preserved  the 
original  talc  on  which  it  was  traced^  and  my  drawing 
(made  at  the  same  time)  of  the  shading  of  the  light  and 
shade  of  the  face,  from  both  of  which  I  executed  the  exact 
likeness  published  by  the  Society,  after  the  original  fresco 
had  been  again  lost  sight  of  and  degraded,  deturpato^  by 
an  ignorant  and  unprincipled  dauber  named  Marini.  The 
whole  history  of  that  misfortune  would  make  a  good  opuscolo 
delle  sventiire  di  un  a7itiquarior  *  It  might  induce  the  govern- 
ment to  try  and  remove  the  coat  of  detestable  ugliness  with 
which  the  beautiful  original  is  covered  and  again  concealed. 
It  might  be  all  recovered.  The  eye  of  course  is  gone ;  for 
the  beast  made  a  great  hole  by  pulling  out  a  nail  instead 
of  cutting  it.  .  .  . 

You  say  the  book  would  be  for  Italians.  It  would,  both 
for  English  and  Italians.  As  for  Florentines,  they  are 
either  indifferent  or  wrong-headed,  swallowing  all  the 
rubbish  of  the  priests  and  Jesuits,  and  totally  ignorant  of 
the  great  discoveries  of  your  Father.  And  he  told  me 
they  would  go  on  increasing  in  the  Beatrice^  especially  in 
the  third  part,  as  he  had  saved  all  the  best  for  the  end. 
And  so  I  think,  from  hints  in  his  letters  ;  in  which  he  deter- 
mines the  greatest  fact,  that  Beatrice  and  the  Filosofia  of 
the  Co7ivito  are  the  same,  and  what  was  the  nature  of 
Dante's  inconstancy  for  which  Beatrice  reproached  him  in 
the  Pmgatorio  —  and  not  the  foolish  story,  without  any 
authority,  of  a  contadina  in  the  mountains  of  Casentino  or  in 
Gubbio.  .  .  . 

Swinburne  has  had  the  kindness  to  send  me  his  Critical 
Essay  on  Blake.    What  a  wonderful  young  man  he  is !  such 
a  poet,  critic,  theologian,  classic,  metaphysician,  connoisseur 
of  all  arts  and  sciences,  universal ;  and,  like  Dante,  his  prose 
Pamphlet  of  the  tribulations  of  an  antiquary. 


FREDERIC  SHIELDS,  1868  345 

is  as  beautiful  as  his  poetry.  Remember  me  to  him,  with  all 
my  gratitude. 

Adieu,  my  dear  Rossetti ;  with  old  affection,  ever  yours, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


1 80. — Frederic  Shields  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[As  to  Warwick  Brookes,  see  my  Diary  (No.  175)  for 
7  February  etc.] 

CoRNBROOK  House,  Manchester. 
17  February  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  For  the  past  month — that  is, 
ever  since  Mr  M'Connel  gave  me  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  Sir  Tristram — I  have  meant  to  write  how  great  pleasure 
I  enjoyed  in  hanging  over  it ;  and,  if  (as  you  intimated)  you 
relied  in  any  measure  on  my  poor  opinion,  it  will  satisfy  you 
to  know  that  I  irideed  think  with  you  that  it  approaches  nearer 
to  the  highest  standard  than  anything  you  have  yet  achieved 
in  water-colour.  .  .  . 

Let  me  say  how  much  the  subject  of  your  last  note 
gratified  me — for  I  have  known  Warwick  Brookes  for  some 
years,  but  not  intimately,  his  disposition  being  too  retiring 
for  that.  Your  information  concerning  him  is  not  very 
accurate  ;  for  he  must  be  nearer  fifty  than  forty,  and  has 
a  family  of  six  children,  the  eldest  girl  being  about  six- 
teen years.  With  this  young  family  he  has  never  dared 
to  venture  to  give  up  a  situation  as  pattern-designer  for 
ladies'  dresses  which  he  held  in  a  firm  here,  and  which 
brought  him  in  a  settled  sum  per  week,  for  the  uncertain 
and  fluctuating  remuneration  attending  the  profession  of 
art.  So  that  all  you  have  seen,  and  much  more,  has  been 
done  during  the  leisure-hours  of  his  evenings  and  Saturday 
afternoons.  .  .  .  For  two  years  back  he  has  been  lying  sick 
of  consumption  ;  and  his  main,  perhaps  his  only,  source  of 


346 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


income  has  been  the  sale  of  the  set  of  photos  with  which 
you  are  acquainted.  Sir  Walter  James  has  most  generously 
exerted  himself  to  spread  their  circulation,  and  other  friends 
have  done  their  best  also.  He  is  too  independent  in  temper 
to  accept  help  in  any  other  way — but,  I  am  certain,  would 
feel  both  grateful  and  pleased  with  such  assistance  as  you 
can  secure  for  him  in  this  way.  The  price  of  the  set  is 
four  pounds.  I  took  the  liberty,  believing  it  would  gladden 
his  sick  chamber,  of  showing  him  your  letter  on  Saturday 
night ;  and,  though  he  was  too  weak  to  read  it  himself,  he 
most  earnestly  expressed  his  estimation  of  your  approval. 
.  .  . — Most  truly  yours, 

Frederic  J.  Shields. 


1 8 1. — Warington  Taylor  to  Dante  Rossettl 

[?i868.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, — I  was  in  town  Monday,  just  to  give 
some  assistance  to  our  new  clerk,  and  put  him  in  the  way 
of  our  methods. 

There  certainly  will  be  a  considerable  sum  in  hand  in 
April,  and  it  will  be  the  work  of  the  members  to  deal 
with  it  I  think  they  ought  to  insist  on  Webb  receiving  a 
certain  sum  :  he  has  charged  for  his  designs  at  the  Palace 
an  absurdly  small  sum ;  three  times  the  amount  would 
have  been  under  the  mark. 

Then  as  to  a  distribution  of  money  amongst  the  members, 
I  think  it  proper  to  say  that,  as  they  form  a  Company,  that 
Company  has  a  debt  to  Morris  for  capital  lent  to  start  the 
firm.  This  must  be  paid  off  before  the  firm  can  claim 
profits  for  itself;  or,  if  members  agree,  a  certain  amount  must 
be  paid,  and  afterwards  another  amount  divided  amongst  the 
members  themselves  ;  for,  although  personally  riches  may 
not  be  of  advantage  to  Morris  (! !)  this  £yoo  is  an  absolute 
debt  due  to  him  by  the  Company,  .  .  , 


WARINGTON  TAYLOR,  1868 


347 


I  think  it  wise  to  tell  you  of  the  difficulties  that  have 
to  be  encountered  in  conducting  that  business.  Morris  is 
very  nervous  about  work  ;  and  he  consequently  often  sud- 
denly takes  men  off  one  job  and  puts  them  on  to  another. 
There  is  in  this  great  loss  of  time.  When  I  was  there,  I 
was  able  in  some  way  to  counteract  this  ;  I  used  to  quiet 
him. 

(2)  I  was  able  to  torment  for  the  designs,  and  this  is  the 
great  point.  I  began  long  before  they  were  wanted,  and  kept 
on  at  Ned  ;  wrote  to  him  every  other  day,  made  him  promise 
dates,  and  so  on  ;  consequently  we  never  got  behind-hand 
with  work.  But  I  can  assure  you  that  this  is  the  great 
difficulty  of  the  place.  If  you  have  no  designs,  you  must  go 
on  to  other  jobs ;  and  nothing  is  so  bad  as  having  six  jobs  in 
hand  instead  of  two.  This  is  the  crying  evil  of  the  place, 
and  which  I  devoted  my  whole  attention  to,  and  succeeded 
really  in  keeping  it  down.  But,  directly  I  am  away,  it 
commences  again.  Morris  will  start  half  a  dozen  jobs : 
he  has  only  designs  for  perhaps  half  of  them,  and  therefore 
in  a  week  or  two  they  have  to  be  given  up.  They  are  put 
away,  bits  get  lost,  have  to  be  done  over  again  :  hence  great 
loss  of  time  and  money. 

I  am  quite  certain  that  the  only  reason  why  you  were  not 
making  money  two  years  ago  was  because  there  was  no 
system.  Too  many  jobs  were  in  hand  at  once,  and  there 
was  no  regular  supply  of  designs.  N.B. — As  an  instance 
of  this  :  in  November  I  got  a  quantity  of  small  jobs  from 
Ned.  I  left  however  one  cartoon  still  to  get  from  him, 
before  he  began  the  South  Kensington  series.  When  in 
town  on  Monday,  I  found  that  cartoon  had  never  been 
done  yet.  You  understand  how  detrimental  this  is  to 
business.  If  I  had  been  there,  that  would  not  have 
occurred.  Such  things  going  on  for  twelve  months  would 
soon  alter  the  state  of  affairs ;  and  this  is  the  thing  that 
causes  fear  in  me  for  the  future,  nothing  else  but  this.  And 
Webb  will  fully  bear  out  what  I  say ;  he  knows  well  this 
is  the  rock  upon  which  the  firm  will  be  wrecked. 

(3)  Morris  always  charges  too  low ;  he  does  not  like, 


348 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


naturally  enough,  to  be  thought  greedy  and  avaricious,  and 
consequently,  if  he  makes  a  contract  by  himself,  charges 
invariably  too  little. 

You  are  now  perfectly  posted  up  in  the  state  of  affairs — 
you  know  as  much  as  I  do  myself — Ever  yours  truly, 

W.  Taylor. 


182. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  reply  of  Dante's  "  spirit  "  concerning  Beatrice  means 
"  she  was  an  idea  in  my  head."] 

Florence,  Ponte  Vecchio  3. 
23  March  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — .  .  .  I  asked  Dante  if  Beatrice  was 
a  Florentine  lady. — No. — Who  was  she  ? — Era  un!  idea  della 
mi  a  testa.  .  .  . 

I  think  I  have  discovered  that  the  date  of  Beatrice's  death 
was  precisely  that  of  his  losing  his  nobility,  and  entering  the 
plebeian  rank  in  the  guild  of  the  physicians  and  apothecaries. 
I  must  enquire  further  about  it. 

Dante's  ghost  confirmed  your  Father's  opinion.  The 
Veltro  was  the  Emperor.  The  Italians  think,  Can  Grande, 
because  of  his  name.  And  so  did  your  Father  at  first,  but  he 
corrected  it,  and  Dante  confirmed  him  to  me.  It  is  for 
Dante's  sake  as  well  as  your  Father's  that  I  wish  for  a 
biography  of  G[abriele]  R[ossetti].  My  long  intercourse  (of 
twelve  years)  with  him  (Dante)  and  mutual  services  have 
made  me  feel  a  real  friendship  for  him  and  other  spirits. 
They  are  now  eight  habitues — Dante  being  one.  They  come 
about  three  times  a  week,  and  give  us  excellent  advice  and 
instruction.  I  follow  them  even  when  they  differ  from  the 
doctors  or  theologians.  ...  I  have  had  above  fifty  spirits  in 
this  room,  besides  twenty  evil  ones.  I  have  seen  little,  only 
four  or  five  times,  but  enough  of  their  action,  and  have  often 


HORACE  SCUDDER,  1868 


349 


heard  and  felt  them.  I  still  continue  the  most  jealous  pre- 
cautions against  trick.  .  .  . — Ever  yours, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


183.— Horace  Scudder  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  designs  of  Mr  La  Farge  are,  I  suppose,  only  very 
scantily  known  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic:  to  be  widely 
admired,  they  only  need  to  be  known  widely.] 

Editorial  Ofiice  of  l^he  Rivej^side  Magazine  for  Young  People. 

Riverside,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
27  March  1868. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  have  for  some  months  past 
had  the  charge  of  a  magazine  for  the  young.  .  .  .  The  only 
artist  who  gives  me  solid  satisfaction  is  Mr  John  La  Farge, 
who  unfortunately  has  been  prevented  by  many  causes, 
principally  ill-health,  from  doing  all  that  we  wish  he  would 
do.  .  .  .  He  did  several  drawings  for  Enoch  Arden  —  an 
edition  published  here  by  Ticknor  and  Fields,  which  was 
hastily  planned  and  as  hastily  executed  ;  La  Farge,  for 
one,  doing  some  of  his  work  bolstered  up  in  bed,  and  the 
blocks  put  into  the  press  at  midnight,  fifteen  minutes  after 
the  engraver  had  taken  his  proof  .  .  . 

I  feel  confident  that  you  would  be  interested  to  see  the 
photographs  which  I  enclose.  The  blocks  were  of  the  same 
size — thatiof  the  larger  of  the  photographs.  The  Wolf-Charmer 
was  engraved  first  in  our  December  number  for  last  year, 
The  Pied  Piper  in  the  January  number.  .  .  . 

La  Farge  has  made  some  admirable  drawings  decorating 
Browning's  Men  and  Women.  I  hope  some  day  he  may 
publish  them  in  some  form.  .  .  . — Faithfully  yours, 

Horace  E.  Scudder. 


350 


llOSSETTI  PAPERS 


184.— William  Graham  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Mr  Graham  was  at  this  time  an  M.F.  for  Glasgow.  The 
occurrence  which  introduced  him  first  into  my  Brother's 
studio  was  I  think  this :  a  Mr  Hamilton  was  a  partner  in 
the  same  Firm  with  Mr  Graham,  and  was  well  known  to  Mr 
Leyland  :  the  latter  took  Hamilton  round  to  my  Brother,  and 
Hamilton  soon  afterwards  took  Graham  round.  Mr  Graham 
became  a  valuable  patron  and  an  affectionate  friend.  Rossetti 
was  much  attached  to  him,  and  with  good  reason.  It  will  be 
perceived  that  the  subject  for  which  Mr  Graham  commissions 
Rossetti  in  this  letter,  Dante  s  Dream,  is  the  same  which  the 
Painter  had  offered  (No.  171)  to  Mr  Matthews,  but  without 
definite  result] 

44  Grosvenor  Place. 
9  ^^r//— [?i868]. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  ...  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation 
to  avail  of  your  offer  to  paint  Dante  s  Dream  for  me,  although 
the  expenditure  of  so  large  a  sum  upon  a  picture  is  what  I 
scarcely  feel  entitled  to  indulge  in.  .  .  . 

Please  then  accept  the  commission  at  the  price  you  name, 
1 500  guineas.  As  regards  size,  I  should  be  sorry  to  put  any 
restraint  upon  you  that  might  be  prejudicial  to  the  work  or 
disappointing  to  yourself,  and  would  prefer  leaving  it  entirely 
to  you.  I  should  think  about  6  feet  X  3|  about  as  full  a  size  as 
one  could  hope  to  find  room  for  comfortably  anywhere.  Will 
this  be  sufficient  to  do  justice  to  it  ?  I  should  like  to  have  the 
offer  of  any  drawing  you  may  make  for  it,  if  agreeable  to 
you.  .  .  . 

Is  it  too  much  to  ask  that,  should  you  in  the  meantime 
take  up  any  smaller  picture  of  such  a  subject  as  in  tone  and 
feeling  to  be  in  my  way  (of  which  I  dare  say  you  can  by  this 
time  more  or  less  judge),  you  would  kindly  offer  it  first  to 
me  ?  .  .  . — Yours  very  sincerely, 

Wm.  Graha^i. 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1868 


351 


185. — Camden  Hotten  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  review  of  Whitman  written  by  Mr  Kent,  a-propos  of 
my  Selection,  was  enthusiastic  in  a  very  high  degree  :  I  think 
that  admirers  of  the  poet  have  not  sufficiently  borne  it  in 
mind.] 

74  AND  75  Piccadilly. 
21  April  1868. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  have  much  pleasure  in  sending  you  a 
copy  of  The  Sun  containing  a  most  flattering  review  of 
W.  Whitman  by  Mr  Charles  Kent,  the  Editor.  I  have 
sent  the  poet  a  copy,  also  one  of  the  Lloyd's  notice  which 
I  also  enclose.  .  .  . 

I  have  just  been  talking  with  Mr  Swinburne  over  the 
desirability  of  publishing  some  notes  upon  the  forthcoming 
Royal  Academy  ExJiibition.  He  is  quite  disposed  to  act  with 
you — if  you  are  willing.  I  should  like  to  issue  such  a 
critical  pamphlet  each  year — after  the  manner  of  Mr  Ruskin 
in  time  gone  by. 

Whitman  is  now  a  regular  correspondent.  .  .  . — Yours 
truly, 

John  Camden  Hotten. 


186. — Baron E  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

Florence,  Ponte  Vecchio  2. 
26  April  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  Dante  showed  immense  courage 
in  doing  as  much  as  he  did.  They  attempted  to  burn  him 
and  his  Cominedia  ;  but  they  were  too  late,  and  only  burned 
his  Monarchia^  and  put  it  in  the  Index !  They  had  not  the 
courage  to  do  more.  But  no  edition  was  ever  to  be  printed 
in  the  capital  of  Italy  until  the  French  were  in  possession  of 
it  during  the  Revolution.  .  .  . 


352 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


I  was  the  cause  of  your  Father's  portrait  being  placed  in 
the  theatre  of  the  Commemoration  at  Santa  Croce.  .  .  . 
G[abriele]  R[ossetti]  was  a  scholar^  a  theologian,  a  poet,  a 
patriot,  and  a  magnificent  writer  of  the  finest  language  in  the 
world.  .  .  . 

Dante,  with  two  other  of  our  spirits,  continues  to  live  at 
Caprera,  where  he  is  Garibaldi's  guardian ;  and  he  seldom 
comes  to  see  us,  though  he  is  very  kind  to  my  little  girl  and 
to  us  all.  I  told  you  of  the  death  of  a  little  rabbit  which  he 
brought  her  as  a  present  from  that  island.  He  promised  her 
something  else,  and  we  had  forgotten  it.  The  other  day  as 
we  were  at  dinner  she  said,  "  There  is  somebody  crying  in 
this  room."  I  am  deaf  and  heard  nothing.  The  Nun  said, 
"  una  voce  qui."*  I  supposed  it  was  some  noise  in  the 
street.  "  No,  it  is  here."  I  gave  Bibi  a  pen,  and  she  was 
made  to  write,  "  Open  the  door  of  the  camerino  "  ;  which  she 
did,  and  came  running  and  screaming  to  us,  "  Oh  dc  una 
bestia";\  followed  by  a  big  lamb,  almost  a  sheep,  jumping 
and  bleating.  Dante,  assisted  by  another,  had  brought  it 
from  Santa  Rosora  near  Pisa,  where  it  had  been  lost  in  a 
wood ;  the  peasants  would  have  eaten  it.  And  here  it  has 
been  ever  since,  and  follows  B[ibi]  like  a  dog.  I  had  been 
in  the  camerino  five  minutes  before,  and  was  never  out  of 
sight  of  the  door.  The  window  was  fastened,  but  they  had 
opened  it.  .  .  . — Always  yours  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


187. — Bertrand  Payne  to  William  Rossettl 

44  Dover  Street,  Piccadilly. 
28  April  1868. 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  read  your  emendations  of  the  text  of 
Shelley  in  N\otes\  and  Q\ueries\  with  equal  pleasure  and 
profit.    Would  it  please  you  to  edit  for  me  another  and 

*  There  is  a  voice  here.  t  Oh  there  is  an  animal. 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1868 


353 


better  form  of  that  poet's  works  than  has  yet  been  attempted  ? 
And,  if  you  would  preface  such  an  edition  of  the  poet's 
remains  with  a  brief  memoir,  I  think  I  could  interest  most 
who  have  any  of  Shelley's  important  papers  to  confide  them 
to  you. — Yours  very  truly, 

J.  Bertrand  Payne. 


i88.— Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossetti. 

[The  portrait  of  my  Father  first  mentioned  must  be  a 
photograph  from  my  Brother's  oil-likeness  of  him,  1848. 
Then  "the  little  photo  of  him"  is  the  one  of  1853,  ^^^so  by 
my  Brother,  reproduced  in  the  Memoir  of  the  latter  that 
I  published  in  1895.  Liverati's  head  may  have  been  fairly 
like  my  Father  towards  the  age  (as  would  appear)  of  forty. 
The  two  Italian  sentences  run  thus  : — (i)  "  It  must  eat  bran, 
salad,  and  meadow-grass,  bread  and  milk — Adieu."  (2) 
"  Conte  :  I  have  brought  you  a  thing  into  the  small  room — 
something  that  I  promised  you." — Towards  the  end  of  the 
letter  comes  a  reference  to  a  matter  which  formed  the  London 
town-talk  in  those  days — an  action  against  the  Medium  Home 
to  recover  a  large  sum  of  money  given  to  him  by  a  lady,  Mrs 
Lyon.] 

Florence,  2  Ponte  Vecchio. 
18  May  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Many  thanks  indeed  for  your  dear 
Father's  portrait.  ...  I  have  your  Brother's  little  photo  of 
him,  which  is  a  charming  little  sort  of  Albert  Durer's  style, 
a  gem  for  execution,  and  I  dare  say  very  faithful.  Liverati's 
is  too  dashing  to  trust  for  correctness  ;  but  it  comes  nearest 
to  your  own  description  of  energy  mid  vivacious  good-humour ; 
in  which  you  agree  with  my  friend  John  Leader,  who  is 
living  here,  married  to  an  Italian  lady.  .  .  . 

You  ask  about  the  story  of  the  lamb's  journey  from  Santa 
Rosora.  I  did  not  hear  its  voice,  from  deafness.  Bibi  and 
the  Nun  did.    Here  is  what  is  written  in  my  journal :  "  I 

z 


354 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


told  Bibi  to  take  a  pen  (she  is  a  writing  medium,  and  her 
hand  was  quickly  convulsed),  and  I  asked  '  Who  is  it  ?  ' — and 
she  wrote  '  Dante ;  open  the  camerino.'  Bibi  went  and 
opened  it,  etc.  He  made  her  write  /  '  Deve  mangiare  crusca, 
insalata,  e  erba  di  prato,  pane  e  latte ;  addio^  I  then  made 
her  sleep,  and  he  told  her  that  he  had  brought  it  in  three 
minutes  from  a  bosco  at  Rosora  near  Pisa,  assisted  by 
Cesarino  (another  spirit) :  asleep,  having  been  magnetized  by 
them."  ...  A  few  minutes  before  the  bleat  was  heard  I 
had  been  in  the  small  camerino,  and  saw  the  window  shut, 
and  had  not  been  out  of  sight  of  the  door  (the  only  one)  for 
a  single  moment.  I  think  I  told  you  that  the  lamb,  after 
being  with  us  two  weeks,  was  taken  away  out  of  another 
window — because  we  could  not  get  the  proper  grass,  and  it 
would  have  died.  They  then  promised  to  give  Bibi  some- 
thing else  ;  and  we  heard  no  more  till  eighteen  days  after, 
when,  at  supper,  the  table  began  to  bounce  and  jump 
violently.  I  enquired  if  Regina,  Dante,  etc.,  were  there.  Yes, 
no  less  than  eight  of  them.  "  Shall  Bibi  sleep  ?  "  (to  tell  me 
what  they  wanted).—"  No."—"  Shall  she  write  ?  "— "  Yes  "— 
and  she  wrote  : — "  Conte :  Ti  ho  portato  una  cosa  nel  camerino^ 
una  cosa  che  fko  promessay  (I  thought  it  was  Dante  who 
had  promised  her  something.)  She  took  a  candle  and  peeped 
in,  and  came  back  frightened  at  something  black.  I  went  in 
and  found  a  pretty  black  puppy,  and  took  him  up  and 
brought  him  in.  "  What  is  his  name  ? " — She  wrote  a 
word  I  could  not  make  out,  nor  she  either.  It  seemed  foli — 
I  asked  what  he  meant ;  and  he  wrote  gioli,  and  then  I  found 
out  that  it  was  jolL  The  Count  who  signed  himself  at  the 
beginning  is  Count  Ladislas  Ginnasi,  a  dear  friend  of  ours 
who  was  very  fond  of  Bibi.  He  died  four  years  ago,  and  is 
one  of  our  eight  habitues ;  but  is  mostly  with  Dante  at 
Caprera,  and  so  is  Giovanni,  another  of  our  friends.  The 
other  five  are  always  here  and  never  fail.  It  is  really  a  little 
society  of  its  kind.  Last  night  they  were  all  eight,  and 
very  merry  with  the  puppy.  I  asked  the  Count  where  the 
dog  came  from  :  from  Faenza,  his  native  city.  .  .  . 

The  spirits  first  came  in  1854,  and  I  have  kept  a  journal 


W.  D.  O'CONNOR,  1868 


355 


ever  since,  now  in  7  volumes,  and  much  omitted.  Writing 
and  sleeping  mediums  are  not  to  be  depended  on. 

Home  has  behaved  very  ill.  I  suspect  he  has  been 
prompted  by  intriguing  lawyers.  He  was  an  honourable 
man  when  I  knew  him  thirteen  years  ago,  but  weak  and 
ignorant.  I  was  really  glad  when  I  heard  of  his  good 
fortune,  but  he  appears  to  have  abused  it.  I  have  not 
seen  any  report  of  the  trial,  and  I  have  asked  Mrs  Parks 
to  send  me  The  Times.  He  will  be  reckoned  an  impostor 
by  the  Judge  if  he  is  not  a  spiritualist,  and  that  will  tell 
against  him.  But  I  am  afraid  it  is  a  bad  case  anyhow.  I 
hear  that  he  is  accused  of  terrible  lies  and  ingratitude.  The 
sentence  is  not  yet  given. 

Count  Ginnasi  was  a  remarkably  handsome  Romagnolo, 
and  cousin  of  Byron's  Count  Gamba  and  Madame  Guiccioli. 
.  .  .  My  little  daughter  is  now  fourteen.  .  .  .  Our  chief 
spirit  is  Bibi's  Mother,  Regina.  She  died  of  consumption 
at  nineteen.  It  all  began  with  her  in  her  lifetime,  and  has 
continued  ever  since.  I  believe  she  lives  here  for  Bibi's 
sake.  .  .  . — Ever  yours  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


189.— W.  D.  O'Connor  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  am  not  aware  whether  the  utterance  ascribed  to 
Carlyle  in  the  newspaper-paragraph  was  really  his  or  not] 

Washington. 
20  May  1868. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — You  will  have  got  The  Tribune, 
containing  Mr  George  W.  Smalley's  malignant  paragraph  on 
Mr  Whitman ;  and  I  enclose  an  item  from  The  Star  of 
this  city,  as  a  sample  of  the  numerous  injurious  squibs 
which  it  has  set  afloat. 

Is  it  possible  that  Mr  Carlyle  has  said  the  things 
Smalley  reports?    I  can  hardly  believe  it.    Do  you  know? 


356 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


If  he  has,  there  has  been  a  change,  for  years  ago  his  opinion 
of  Leaves  of  Grass  was  very  high.  ...  At  all  events,  Mr 
Carlyle's  name  carries  so  much  weight  in  this  country  that 
the  attack  is  hkely  to  be  mischievous.  The  enemy  feel 
re-enforced  by  such  an  authority,  and  are  preparing  for  a 
general  onset.  The  article  in  The  Saturday  Review  has 
already  been  reprinted  here  in  full.  .  .  . 

I  have  seen  the  Athenceuin  notice.  It  is  fine,  and  has 
superb  sentences. 

I  hope  your  enterprise  prospers.  Save  for  the  ill  wind 
of  The  Saturday  Review,  the  notices  have  been  more  than 
one  could  have  hoped  for.  .  .  . — Your  very  faithful 

W.  D.  O'Connor. 

Carlyle  on  Whitman. — A  correspondent  of  a  New  York 
paper  says  that  Carlyle  likens  Walt  Whitman  to  a  "  buffalo, 
useful  in  fertilizing  the  soil,  but  mistaken  in  supposing  that 
his  contributions  of  that  sort  are  matters  which  the  world 
desires  to  contemplate  closely."  The  admirers  of  Whitman 
in  this  country  will  hardly  relish  the  characterization  of 
the  productions  of  "  the  good  grey  poet "  as  buffalo-chips. 


190. — W.  D.  O'Connor— On  Leaves  of  Grass. 

[I  print  something  like  a  half  of  this  writing.  It  reached 
me — possibly  through  Mr  Conway — as  a  Preface,  proposed 
by  Mr  O'Connor,  for  my  Selection  from  Whitman's  Poems : 
or  indeed  (according  to  the  author's  project)  for  a  complete 
re-edition  of  the  poems.  It  did  not  however  suit  my  plan 
to  make  any  use  of  the  writing.  I  do  not  know  who  was  the 
"  English  gentleman  and  traveller "  mentioned  towards  the 
close  of  the  extract] 

Lntroduction  to  the  London  Edition. 

America — that  new  world  in  so  many  respects  besides  its 
geography — has  afforded  nothing,  even  in  the  astonishing 


W.  D.  O'CONNOR,  1868 


357 


products  of  the  fields  of  its  politics,  its  mechanical  inventions, 
material  growths,  and  the  like,  more  original,  more  autoch- 
thonic,  than  its  late  contribution  in  the  field  of  literature,  the 
Poem,  or  poetic  writings,  named  Leaves  of  Grass.  .  .  . 

Taken  as  a  unity,  Leaves  of  Grass,  true  to  its  American 
origin,  is  a  song  of  "  the  great  pride  of  man  in  himself."  It 
assumes  to  bring  the  materials  and  outline  the  architecture 
of  a  more  complete,  more  advanced,  idiocratic,  masterful, 
Western  personality — the  combination  and  model  of  a  new 
Man.  ...  It  possesses,  more  than  any  other  book  we  know, 
the  magnetism  of  living  flesh  and  blood,  sitting  near  the 
reader  and  looking  and  talking.  .  .  . 

If  indeed  the  various  parts  of  L^eaves  of  Grass  demanded 
a  single  word  to  sum  up  and  characterize  them,  it  would 
seem  to  be  the  word  Democracy.  But  it  would  mean  a 
Democracy  not  confined  to  politics  ;  that  would  describe  a 
portion  only.  It  would  need  the  application  of  the  word  to 
be  extended  to  all  departments  of  civilization  and  human- 
ity  

We  will  add  to  the  hasty  synopsis  of  L^eaves  of  Grass  just 
given  a  brief  memorandum  of  the  author,  Walt  Whitvian. 
He  was  born  on  his  Father's  farm,  not  far  from  the  sea,  in 
New  York  State,  31  May  1819.  His  descent  is  from  Dutch 
and  English  ancestry,  dating  back,  in  both  Father  and  Mother's 
lines,  to  the  first  colonization  of  that  part  of  the  country  ;  and 
is  thus  of  the  fullest  and  purest  stock  that  America  affords, 
grown  of  her  own  soil.  He  grew  up  large  and  strong, 
alternating  his  life  equally  between  the  country- farm  and 
New  York  City.  He  has  since  lived  in  the  South,  explored 
the  West,  and  sailed  the  Mississippi,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  the  great  Canadian  Lakes.  He  has  been  a  farmer, 
builder  of  houses,  and  printer  and  editor  of  newspapers. 
He  first  issued  Leaves  of  Grass  in  1855.  The  book  has 
since  been  printed,  with  successive  enlargements  and  re- 
adjustments, three  times.  As  given  in  this  volume,  it  was 
put  forth  by  the  author  within  the  last  year,  and  includes 
the  poems  and  songs  of  D^^uvi-Taps,  written  during  and  at 
the  close  of  the  late  Civil  War, 


358 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


For  Walt  Whitman  was  in  the  midst  of  the  war  through- 
out. A  vokmteer  caretaker  of  the  wounded  and  sick,  he 
joined  the  army  early  in  the  contest,  and  steadily  remained, 
as  an  amateur  but  at  active  work,  in  camp,  on  the  battle- 
field, or  in  some  of  the  huge  military  hospitals,  ministering 
to  Southerners  as  well  as  Northerners  ;  not  only  till  Richmond 
fell  and  Lee  capitulated,  but,  as  we  hear,  continues  to  this 
day  still  regularly  visiting  the  collections  of  maimed  and 
broken-down  men,  the  sad  legacy  bequeathed  by  the  long 
campaigns  and  sanguinary  battles  of  those  vast  armies. 

He  is  now  in  his  forty-ninth  year,  and  is  portrayed  by 
one  who  knows  him  intimately  as  tall  in  stature  ;  with 
shapely  limbs ;  slow  of  movement ;  florid  and  clear  face ; 
bearded  and  grey  ;  blue  eyes ;  an  expression  of  great  equa- 
nimity ;  a  decided  presence  and  singular  personal  mag- 
netism ;  very  little  of  a  talker ;  always  compassionate ; 
generally  undemonstrative ;  yet  capable  of  the  strongest 
emotions,  resolution,  and  JiaiUeur. 

An  English  gentleman  and  traveller,  a  believing  reader  of 
Walt  Whitman,  who  sought  him  out  in  America,  gives  the 
latest  direct  account  of  the  poet.  He  found  him,  in  August 
1867,  residing  at  Washington,  the  capital  of  the  United  States, 
where  he  was  holding  a  small  but  pleasant  and  honourable 
post  in  the  office  of  the  Attorney-General.  He  had  several 
interviews  with  him  ;  and,  besides  confirming  the  main  parts 
of  the  foregoing  account,  he  adds  one  thing  more,  with  which 
we  may  conclude  our  record.  It  is  a  point  that  has  the  final 
bearing  on  human  character.  He  considers  Walt  Whitman 
the  most  thoroughly  religious  being  that,  in  the  course  of 
much  travel  and  long  and  varied  contact  with  the  world, 
he  has  ever  encountered.  The  interior  and  foundation 
quality  of  the  man  is  Hebraic,  biblical,  mystic.  This  quality 
undoubtedly,  —  exhibited  and  fused  through  a  full  and 
passionate  physiology,  a  complete  animal  body,  and  joined 
with  the  most  thorough  realization  and  cordial  acceptance 
of  his  country  and  belief  in  its  mission,  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  sacred  practical  obligations  of  each  person  as  citizen, 
neighbour,  and  friend,  and  the  most  deferential  absorption  of 


STAUROS  DILBEROGLUE,  1868 


359 


modern  science  ;  yet  with  the  distinct  acknowledgment  that 
science,  grand  as  it  is,  stands  at  last  utterly  baffled  before 
the  impenetrable  miracle  of  the  least  law  of  the  universe, 
and  even  the  least  leaf  or  insect ; — this,  we  say,  undoubtedly 
gives  the  best  clue  both  to  the  personal  character  and  life 
and  to  the  poetic  utterance  of  this  new,  powerful,  and  (we 
think  we  must  say)  most  typical  American. 


191.— Stauros  Dilberoglue  to  William  Rossettl 

31  Threadneedle  Street. 
27  May  1868. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — Stillman  still  hopes,  and  some  of  our 
best  friends  here  think,  that  it  is  not  yet  desperate :  I  am 
longing,  but  doubtful.  .  .  . 

I  wish  I  was  coming  with  you  as  far  as  Venice.  ...  Be 
with  Venetians  if  you  can.  You  will  understand  them, 
and  they  will  understand  you.  People  of  the  South,  or  with 
southern  blood,  understand  each  other  so  well ;  and  see 
precisely  and  hear  precisely  what  each  has  to  say  and  make 
the  other  see,  which  is  a  rare  blessing  in  life.  Britons 
generally  use  epithets  for  characterizing  foreigners,  but  that 
is  dos/i ;  no  adjective  can  characterize  any  complex-natured 
soul.  And  the  Southerners  are  that,  because  they  have, 
thank  God,  as  yet,  710  principles.  They  are  guided  by  their 
nerves,  their  stomach,  and  their  livers,  and  they  are  as 
various  as  the  English  climate.  They  are  tempera/2V^,  and 
of  course  most  charming  companions  ;  and  then  they  have 
a  kind  of  logic  that  astonishes  one  with  its  simplicity  and 
boldness ;  they  reason  like  great  children  to  the  extremest 
limits  of  their  thoughts,  whatever  they  may  be.  .  .  . — I  am, 
in  affectionate  esteem,  yours, 

Stauros  Dilberoglue, 


360 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


192. — C.  P.  Maenza  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  writer  is  mentioned  in  my  Diary  (No.  175)  p.  322. 
The  end  of  the  present  letter  has  been  lost] 

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER,  1 9  RUE  SiMONEAU. 
7.'^  July  1868. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — I  have  punctually  received  the  other 
two  half-notes ;  as  to  the  rest,  make  it  convenient  to  yourself 
What  we  feel  of  gratitude,  we  cannot  sufficiently  express  it. 

Read  attentively  the  following  lines.  Seven  years  ago, 
when  you  so  kindly  tried  to  make  up  ^200,  the  sum  then 
necessary  to  enable  us  to  go  to  Italy,  we  could  only  reach 
;^I54.  Certainly  it  was  a  considerable  sum  of  money;  but 
not  what  I  considered  necessary  to  clear  myself  from  Boulogne, 
and  risk,  with  Mrs  Maenza,  when  in  Italy  to  find  ourselves  in 
a  critical  position,  having  received  positive  information  that 
the  Italian  Government  could  not  afford  but  scanty  assistance 
for  past  services.  .  .  . 

Age,  fatigue,  and  anxiety  for  the  future,  have  made  me 
unfit  for  that  daily  work  which  teaching  requires ;  my  strength 
is  gone,  and  a  troublesome  cough  torments  me  terribly.  .  .  . 

It  has  given  us  a  very  great  pleasure  to  find  that  your 
position  as  an  artist  is  firmly  established.  I  never  doubted 
of  your  success  since  you  were  a  boy ;  who  could  have  been 
blind  to  it?  Only  I  was  afraid  you  would  not  take  it  up 
seriously.  .  .  . 


193- — C.  P.  Maenza  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  P.S.  here  speaks  of  "  your  estimable  friend,"  and  also 
of  Mr  Ruskin.  My  impression  is  that  the  "  friend  "  was  Mr 
Howell ;  who  may  have  been  acting  in  concert  with  Mr 
Ruskin,  or  probably  on  his  own  account] 


OLIVER  BROWN,  1868 


361 


BOULOGNE-SUR-MER,   19  RUE  SiMONEAU. 
26  July  1868. 

My  dearest  Gabriel, — I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to 
write ;  how  can  we  express  to  you  what  are  our  feelings  ? 
Your  letter  is  what  a  most  affectionate  son  would  have  sent 
to  his  parents ;  and  more  than  that,  since  you  wish  to  under- 
take a  charge  which  passes  all  imagination.  Are  we  author- 
ized to  accept  such  a  sacrifice  on  your  part  ?  We  hesitate 
(but  we  trust  confidently  in  your  affection)  to  consider  the 
acceptance  of  your  most  generous  offer,  for  being  absolutely 
invalidated  by  a  worn-out  health.  The  sum  you  propose  is 
more  than  sufficient ;  our  wants  are  small,  and  we  could  make 
ourselves  perfectly  happ}\  Only  I  should  like  to  facilitate 
you  as  much  as  it  is  in  my  power,  in  raising  up  the  £\0Q 
with  some  of  my  works,  or  by  trying  in  getting  some  old 
little  paintings  that  chances  might  bring  in  my  way,  and 
send  them  to  you  in  England.  .  ,  . 

Now,  my  dear  Gabriel,  your  communication  about  your 
health  will  remain  strictly  confidential ;  but  it  has  caused  us 
a  very  great  affliction  ;  not  for  interest  sake,  but  because  we 
have  found  in  you  the  most  generous  and  most  affectionate 
friend  we  could  ever  meet  in  the  world.  .  .  . — Yours  very 
truly, 

C.  P.  Maenza. 

P.S. — Will  you  express  to  your  estimable  friend  our 
sincere  gratitude  for  his  kind  and  unassuming  generosity  ; 
we  are  overpowered  by  so  much  consideration  and  friendly 
interference.  Pray,  if  you  have  an  opportunity  to  see  Mr 
Ruskin,  give  him  my  kindest  regards,  and  assure  him  of  my 
grateful  remembrance  of  his  generosity. 


194.— Oliver  Brown  to  Emma  Brown,  Yarmouth. 

["  My  Jason  picture "  is  a  water-colour  of  The  Centaur 
Chiron  receiving  the  Infant  Jason  from  the  Slave:  it  was 
exhibited  at  the  Dudley  Gallery  in  1869,  and  I  now  possess 


362 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


a  smaller  duplicate  of  it.  I  have  no  recollection  of  the  design 
of  Drowned  Men's  Ghosts. — Cathy  (Mrs  Hueffer)  was  only 
a  little  older  than  Oliver,  who  was  born  in  January  1855.] 

37  FiTZROY  Square. 
26  July  1868. 

My  dear  Mamma, —  ...  I  have  begun  painting  my 
Jason  picture  ;  the  colour  has  not  come  good  at  present, 
but  I  suppose  it  may  come  better  when  1  get  more  of  it 
in.  I  have  been  also  making  some  slight  sketches,  one 
of  which  I  believe  you  saw ;  the  other  one  is  of  two  men 
rowing  across  a  river,  and  meeting  the  ghosts  of  the  people 
who  have  been  drowned  in  it  walking  in  a  procession.  .  .  .  Has 
Cathy  been  doing  any  drawings  of  you?  Please  give  her 
my  love,  and  believe  me  your  very  affectionate  Son, 

Oliver  Madox  Brown. 


195. — James  Smetham  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[This  information  regarding  the  Taylor  family  will  have 
been  interesting  to  Rossetti,  on  the  ground  of  the  sincere 
admiration  which  he  entertained  for  certain  biblical  designs 
made  by  Isaac  Taylor  Junior.  These  designs  were  published 
in  1834  as  One  hundred  Copperplate  Engravings  to  ornament 
Editions  of  the  Bible.  Rossetti,  in  the  supplementary  chapter 
which  he  wrote  to  Gilchrist's  Life  of  Blake,  speaks  of  the 
series  as  "  seldom  equalled  for  imaginative  impression."  Mr 
Smetham  appears  to  say  that  this  Isaac  Taylor  Junior  was 
the  same  person  as  the  Author  of  The  Natural  History  of 
Entlmsiasvi,  etc.  This  may  be  correct,  but  I  am  not  sure 
of  it] 

I  Park  Lane,  Stoke  Newington. 
12  August  1868. 

My  dear  Gabriel, —  .  .  .  The  two  youngest  boys  and 
myself  spent  a  fortnight  near  Ongar,    Heard  a  good  deal 


ADDINGTON  SYMONDS,  1868 


363 


about  Isaac  Taylor.  The  Father  was  a  very  fine  engraver 
— engraved  Stothard's  Henry  VIII.  and  Anne  Boleyn,  and 
Opie's  DeatJi  of  Rizzio,  for  Boydell's  Gallery.  At  South 
Kensington  Portrait  -  Gallery  there  were  oil  -  portraits  of 
Jane  Taylor  and  Anne  Taylor  by  him — little  Isaac  as  a 
baby  in  the  distance  rolling  on  the  grass.  The  picture 
very  well  done.  Saw  the  Son  of  Anne  Taylor,  who  is  an 
artist  (Crayon-heads  3  inches  long — price  10  guineas,  etc.), 
but  has  a  competence  and  no  children.  His  name  is 
Gilbert.  He  has  written  a  book  of  Travels  in  tJie  Dolomite 
Mountains,  said  to  be  pleasant.  He  is  writing  about  Titian. 
The  Dolomite  Mountains  are  near  Cadore,  and  he  has  lots 
of  rough  water-colours  of  the  mountain-lines,  showing  the 
Titian  crests,  flame-like.  I  find  that  it  was  Isaac  Taylor 
Junior,  the  author,  who  did  the  designs  you  have.  He 
also  invented  the  common  BEER-TAP,  and  another  reaped 
the  harvest  of  profit. — Affectionately  yours, 

Jas.  Smetham. 


196. — ADDINGTON  SyMONDS  to  WiLLIAM  ROSSETTI. 

[Mr  Symonds  (whom  I  had  never  the  good  fortune  to 
know  personally)  was  right  in  inferring  that  the  two  poems 
by  Whitman  first  mentioned  by  him  were  omitted  from  my 
selection  simply  on  the  ground  that  they  could  not  well  go 
in  without  the  cancelling  of  some  phrases.  As  to  the  other 
poem  from  Calamus,  I  cannot  now  say  anything  distinct.] 

Clifton  Hill  House,  near  Bristol. 
15  August  1868. 

Sir, — May  I  be  permitted,  as  a  sincere  admirer  of  Walt 
Whitman,  to  express  to  you  my  thanks  for  your  edition  of 
his  select  works — one  of  the  most  valuable  of  your  many 
valuable  contributions  to  our  literature  ? 

I  should  hardly  have  ventured  thus  to  address  you,  had 
the  readers  and  admirers  of  Whitman  been  a  large  body  in 


364 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


England.  But,  as  it  is,  there  are  so  few  who  are  able  to 
understand  his  excellences,  so  many  who  are  irritated  into 
a  kind  of  madness  by  his  want  of  taste  in  details,  that  I 
feel  justified  in  expressing  to  you  my  sympathy  with  all  that 
you  have  said  in  your  preface,  and  my  admiration  of  the 
taste  and  judgment  of  your  selection. 

Might  I  ask  you  on  what  account  you  have  omitted  Sleep- 
Chasings  and  A  Leaf  of  Faces  from  your  volume?  I 
have  always  regarded  these  as  among  Whitman's  most 
characteristic  pieces.  Is  it  because  you  would  not  submit 
them  to  the  necessary  purgation  for  English  readers  ?  I 
remember  that  one  passage  in  the  latter  poem  moved 
Tennyson's  wrath  in  particular  when  he  first  came  across 
Leaves  of  Grass.  I  should  also  have  liked  to  see  the  poem 
of  Calamus  (old  edition),  "  Long  I  thought  that  knowledge 
alone  would  suffice  me,"  in  your  collection — the  more  so 
perhaps  because  it  has  been  omitted  in  the  last  edition  by 
Mr  Whitman  himself  Do  you  happen  to  know  what 
induced  him  to  suppress  it?  .  .  . — Your  obedient  servant, 

John  Addington  Symonds,  Junior. 


igy, — Addington  Symonds  to  William  Rossettl 

Clifton  Hill  House,  near  Bristol. 
19  Augtist  1868. 

My  dear  Sir, —  .  .  .  Do  you  think  that  the  poems  of 
Whitman  might  be  put  into  a  juster  light  by  any  essay- 
writing  about  them  ?  I  have  long  contemplated  making 
a  literary  study  of  his  works ;  and,  if  (as  I  conjecture)  no 
review  would  take  a  fair  and  dispassionate  critique,  have 
thought  of  publishing  a  more  minute  one  separately.  The 
experience  of  many  years'  writing  for  journals  etc.  makes  me 
feel  the  difficulty  of  such  an  undertaking  in  the  case  of  a 
writer  like  Walt  Whitman,  who,  to  use  his  own  phrase,  has 
a  singular  faculty  of  "  eluding  "  analysis.    But  I  should  like 


ADDINGTON  SYMONDS,  1868 


365 


to  attempt  the  work  if  better  judges  than  myself  were  of 
opinion  that  a  sufficient  number  of  people  are  superficially 
interested  in  Whitman  to  make  an  audience.  .  .  . 

I  think  the  reprint  of  the  Prose  Preface  to  Leaves  of  Grass 
one  of  the  best  and  most  useful  points  about  your  edition. 
Last  year  I  was  going  to  have  that  preface  reprinted  for  dis- 
tribution among  a  few  friends.  .  .  . — Yours  very  truly, 

J.  A.  Symonds. 


198. — Addington  Symonds  to  William  Rossettl 

Clifton  Hill  House,  near  Bristol. 
25  August  1868. 

My  dear  Sir, — At  the  risk  of  troubling  you  with  another 
letter,  I  cannot  refrain  from  writing  to  thank  you  for  the 
kindness  of  your  second  answer,  and  to  explain  what  I 
meant  by  a  "literary  study"  of  Walt  Whitman.  I  was 
thinking  of  an  analytical  and  critical  enquiry  into  the 
nature  of  his  poetry,  and  his  position  as  a  pioneer — as 
well  as  a  discussion  of  the  different  subjects  of  his  writings, 
and  some  account  of  his  life.  This  would  imply  a  con- 
sideration of  his  peculiar  views  about  Democracy,  Love,  Art, 
Religion ;  and  would  lead  one  far,  I  fear,  beyond  the  limits 
of  a  magazine-article.  What  you  and  Buchanan  have 
done  has  rendered  it,  I  think,  unnecessary  to  attempt  the 
publication  of  another  brief  general  survey.  But,  if  there 
were  a  chance  of  getting  a  purely  critical  article  into  Fraser 
or  one  of  the  Quarterlies,  I  should  like  to  write  a  section 
of  the  work  which  I  have  just  sketched  in  outline  upon 
Whitman's  claims  to  be  considered  a  great  poet.  I  should 
then  dismiss  all  polemical,  biographical,  ethical  (and  so  on) 
discussion,  and  should  confine  myself  to  pointing  out  the 
strength  and  beauty  of  his  work,  the  range  and  drift  of  his 
art,  illustrating  my  remarks  by  copious  quotations. 

I  know  Burroughs'  book.  .  .  . 


366 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


I  am  surprised  to  hear  what  you  tell  me  about  Whit- 
man's unpopularity  in  America.  It  is  partly,  I  suppose,  the 
prophet's  old  want  of  honour  in  his  own  country.  Besides, 
the  Americans,  when  refined,  are  apt  to  be  absurdly  over- 
refined.  They  are  like  parvenus,  who  are  always  more 
afraid  of  being  vulgar  than  people  of  acknowledged  position. 
I  should  not  wonder  if  Whitman  were  in  the  end  more 
tolerantly  and  tranquilly  received  in  England  than  he  can 
be  in  his  own  country.  Then  the  appreciation  of  him  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic  will  be  reflected  on  the  other, 
and  the  Americans  will  be  ashamed  of  not  being  proud  of 
their  apostle.  .  .  . — Yours  very  faithfully, 

John  Addington  Symonus. 


199. — BARONE  KiRKUP  to  WiLLIAiM  ROSSETTI. 

[Charles  Brown  was  the  friend  of  Keats  rather  than  of 
Shelley  ;  whether  he  really  knew  Shelley  I  should  rather 
doubt.  This  statement  as  to  the  manner  of  his  death 
seems  to  me  new.] 

Leghorn. 
31  August  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  remember  a  tobacconist's  shop 
in  the  country  with  a  signboard  on  which  were  painted  three 
appropriate  faces  with  this  poetical  motto — 

We  three  are  engaged  in  the  same  cause  ; 
I  smokes,  I  snuffs,  and  I  chaws. 

Poor  De  Batines  the  Philodantist  died  here  of  cigars  :  he  was 
young.  And  Charles  Brown,  the  friend  of  Shelley  and 
Trelawny,  died  of  snuff,  after  several  fits.  .  .  . — Yours  truly, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1868 


367 


200. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  opening  of  this  letter  refers  to  my  proposal  to 
dedicate  to  Barone  Kirkup  (which  I  did)  my  little  Essay 
on  Italimi  Courtesy-books.  Some  of  the  books  which  he 
mentions  as  authorities  go  on  to  a  date  more  recent  than 
I  dealt  with. — The  statement  that  Tasso  was  a  medium  will 
surprise  some  readers ;  it  is  however  a  fact  that  certain 
things  recorded  of  Tasso  by  himself  and  others  do  bear  a 
close  affinity  to  some  aspects  of  modern  spiritualism.] 

Florence,  2  Ponte  Vecchio. 
18  September  1868. 

My  dear  Friend, — I  found  your  letter  here  on  my  arrival 
from  Leghorn.  There  is  nothing  of  which  I  shall  be  prouder 
than  the  honour  of  having  my  name  connected  with  any  of 
your  works  ;  and  the  subject  of  this  is  most  interesting  to 
an  antiquarian.  I  have  always  had  a  leaning  that  way,  and 
you  have  a  great  list  of  authorities.  You  will  find  much  in 
the  Novellieri,  from  Sacchetti  to  Bandello,  Giraldi,  and 
Malespini,  and  in  the  Ragionamenti  of  P[ietro]  Aretino.  I 
have  seen  a  small  book  containing  three  Galateos — those  of 
Monsignor  Delia  Casa,  Gioia,  and  another.  Very  likely  you 
have  got  it.  If  not,  shall  I  seek  for  it  ?  Bandello's  introduc- 
tions to  his  Novelle  are  especially  good  for  costume ;  and,  if 
you  have  time,  you  will  find  much  in  the  old  Comedias  of 
the  500.  I  never  read  the  three  Galateos.  .  .  .  Pietro 
Aretino  gives  us  much  knowledge  of  the  customs  of  Rome  in 
his  Ragionamenti.  They  are  dialogues  between  a  rich 
courtezan  and  her  friend,  a  bawd,  whom  she  consults  about 
the  bringing-out  of  her  daughter ;  and  has  the  choice  of 
three  conditions,  a  nun's,  a  wife's,  or  a  courtezan's,  all  which 
she  herself  had  experienced,  and  relates  to  her  friend. 
They  decide  on  the  last,  and  it  ends  with  a  long  conversa- 
tion of  instructions  to  the  daughter.  .  .  .  Another  book  of 
his  is  a  dialogue  on  Cards,  in  which  some  excellent  stories 


368 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


of  gamesters  are  introduced.  I  sent  some  of  them  lately  to 
R.  Browning,  who  is  writing  a  poem  relating  to  Arezzo  in 
which  gambling  will  make  a  great  figure.  I  have  written  to 
B[rowning],  through  whom  I  lent  to  Mr  John  Forster  all  my 
letters,  odes,  scraps,  conversations,  etc.,  of  W.  S.  Landor, 
whose  life  he  was  going  to  write.  .  .  . 

The  great  authority  for  Italian  courtesy  will  always  be 
letters — Machiavelli,  Aretino,  Varchi,  Tasso,  etc.  I  trans- 
lated some  of  the  latter,  proving  that  he  was  a  medium 
and  not  a  madman,  and  sent  them  to  The  Spiritual  Magazine 
about  five  or  six  years  ago.  ...  It  was  not  till  time  of 
the  court  of  the  Medici  that  exaggerated  adulation  and 
servility  became  the  fashion,  and  titles  became  common  in 
Florence.  .  .  . — Always  yours  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


201. — Sir  Frederick  Burton  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[My  Brother  must  have  written  about  his  eyesight  to 
Sir  Frederick  Burton,  knowing  the  latter  to  have  had  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  in  the  same  way. — "  The  transcribed 
poem "  was  probably  one  of  those  written  by  Dr  Garth 
Wilkinson  under  supposed  spiritual  influence.] 

CoMRAGH  House,  Kilmacthomas,  Ireland. 
20  September  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  felt,  and  now  still  more 
strongly  feel,  convinced  that  the  condition  of  your  eye- 
sight is  mainly,  if  not  entirely,  owing  to  your  general 
state  of  health — of  which  both  it  and  your  want  of  sleep 
are  but  symptoms.  But,  whatever  the  former  may  more 
mediately  depend  upon,  the  latter  is  alone  sufficient  to 
account  for  it.  I  know  some,  and  know  of  many,  persons 
who,  being  afflicted  with  sleeplessness,  have  found  either 
benefit  or  cure  by  going  to  the  seaside.  There  is  some- 
thing in  the  sea-air  which  induces  sleep ;  and,  in  a  case 


SIR  FREDERICK  BURTON,  1868 


369 


where  great  unrest  and  wakefulness  have  become  habitual, 
I  believe  it  is  all-important  to  get  into  the  habit  of  sleeping 
for  even  a  short  time, — when  the  spell  seems  to  become 
broken,  and  the  natural  rest  returns.  I  wish  you  would 
try  it ;  and  indeed,  if  you  go  down  to  Penkill,  I  should 
think  (from  the  description  I  have  had  of  its  position)  you 
would  be  sufficiently  near  the  sea  to  benefit  by  it. 

1  do  not  doubt  that  writing  to  Bonders  would  be  of 
use.  But  I  am  so  much  convinced  that  rest  of  all  kinds, 
including  abstention  from  work,  is  what  you  chiefly  require, 
that  I  should  hardly  think  you  could  do  better  than  try 
to  obtain  it  —  and  in  doing  so  await  Bowman's  return. 
Perhaps  by  that  time  you  will  not  urgently  need  his  advice. 
But  I  would  certainly  have  it  under  all  circumstances.  I 
should  imagine  that  your  whole  nervous  system  is  deranged 
and  overwrought ;  and  that  the  ophthalmic  nerve,  which 
indeed  becomes  the  retina,  is — very  naturally  in  your  case 
— peculiarly  affected ;  and  that  this  reacts  upon  the  whole 
nervous  system,  and  so  a  constant  current  of  excitement  is 
kept  up.  If  you  can  save  the  retina  from  lesion  by  timely 
rest,  I  am  sure  you  will  have  done  the  most  that  is 
required. 

Thanks,  a  great  many,  for  the  transcribed  poem.  It 
is  very  remarkable,  and  the  result  of  a  truly  imaginative 
mind — containing  the  real  poetic  element.  But  I  do  not 
see  that  it  is  especially  spiritualistic  in  itself,  though  its 
singer  may  be  a  spiritualist. 

I  am  glad  you  have  read  Vathek — only  surprised  it  never 
came  across  you  before.  Since  my  boyhood  I  know  it — and 
read  it  again  a  few  years  ago  with  undiminished  delight. 
It  has  a  quality  of  imaginativeness  surpassing,  I  think,  most 
of  what  one  finds  in  The  Arabian  Nights — as  indeed  one 
might  perhaps  not  unnaturally  expect  from  a  highly  poetic 
European  mind,  using  with  consummate  command  oriental 
imagery.  .  .  . 

I  am  ashamed  to  say  I  have  never  read  Wuthering 
Heights.  ...  I  will  certainly  read  it  soon,  more  incited 
thereto  by  what  you  say.  .  .  . 

2  A 


370  ROSSETTI  PAPERS 

Ever  yours,  dear  Rossetti,  most  heartily  and  with  best 
wishes, 

Frederick  W.  Burton. 


202. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

Penkill. 
7  October  i868. 

My  dear  Brown, — I  had  better  answer  your  enquiries 
to  Scott  myself.  I  am  still  very  queer  in  the  eyes,  in  spite  of 
vastly  improved  sleep.  I  lately  received  a  note  of  enquiry 
from  Bader  the  oculist,  and  wrote  him  my  latest  symptoms, 
some  of  which  I  think  very  nasty  ones.  However,  he 
still  writes  expressing  the  most  unlimited  confidence  in  my 
complete  recovery.    So  let  us  hope  for  the  best. 

Miss  Boyd  says — won't  you  come  down  ?  Now  do.  We 
should  be  as  jolly  as  is  possible  in  my  queer  state,  and  I 
dare  say  I  should  be  helped  to  forget  it.  There  is  a  splendid 
studio  here,  so  you  could  bring  any  work  you  pleased  with 
you.  Miss  Boyd  is  the  most  indulgent  of  hostesses,  and 
you  would  do  precisely  as  you  pleased.  Scott's  pictures  are 
finished,  and  well  worth  a  visit  if  there  were  no  other  attrac- 
tion. But  the  scenery  here  is  simply  paradise  within  the 
grounds  of  the  castle — all  private,  and  every  opportunity 
of  painting  landscape  if  you  felt  inspired.  The  glen  belong- 
ing to  the  castle  is,  I  think,  the  most  lovely  spot  I  was  ever 
in.  All  kinds  of  joy  and  mystery  in  all  its  corners — immense 
variety  of  background-material  for  any  conceivable  outdoor 
subject.  There  is  one  spot  which  even  I  should  be  moved 
to  set  to  work  on  if  my  eyes  were  in  order.  The  extreme 
quiet  and  beauty  of  the  place  could  not  but  prove  invaluable 
to  you. 

Now  do  come  at  once.  It  ought  to  be  at  once,  as  the 
trees  are  beginning — though  only  just  beginning — to  thin 
very  materially.    The  weather  here  has  been  splendid,  instead 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1868 


371 


of  the  nuisances  I  hear  you  have  suffered  from  in  London — 
and  seems  likely  to  remain  so  at  present.  .  .  , 

Perhaps  you  have  seen  some  of  my  letters  to  others,  and 
know  that  I  spent  a  couple  of  hours  in  the  Leeds  Exhibition 
in  coming  out  here.  For  this,  of  course,  I  had  to  pass  the 
first  night  at  Leeds.  The  Old  Masters  are  intensely  inter- 
esting in  many  cases,  but  the  place  is  now  a  bear-garden 
of  Yorkshire  excursionists.  It  will  be  open  till  26th  October. 
Two  of  yours — Last  of  England  and  Jacob — were  extremely 
well  hung  and  looked  very  fine.  The  Work  is  seen  to 
disadvantage  ;  and  the  Cordelia  not  as  it  ought  to  be,  but 
still  pretty  well. — With  love  to  all,  your  affectionate 

Gabriel. 


203. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

Florence,  2  Ponte  Vecchio. 
20  November  1 868. 

My  dear  Friend, — You  are  quite  right — Europe  ought  to 
rejoice  at  the  Spanish  Revolution.  But  they  are  hindered 
by  those  cursed  French  from  making  it  a  Republic ;  and,  if 
they  are  forced  to  call-in  another  dynasty,  it  will  return  to 
the  whole  craft,  priestcraft  included,  for  priests  and  kings  are 
always  allies.  .  .  . 

Here  they  are  building  new  royal  stables  that  will  cost 
more  than  the  President  of  America  is  paid  in  six  years; 
and  only  lately  they  were  talking  of  bankruptcy,  and  are  not 
quite  sure  about  it  still ;  and  Codini  raise  the  usual  hue  and 
cry,  against  Garibaldi  and  Mazzini,  of  Atheists  and  Robe- 
spierrists. 

I  fear  the  Spaniards  will  not  be  able  to  come  well  out  of 
their  difficulties.  .  .  . 

The  Life  of  Tasso  by  Manso  is  the  best  and  truest,  and 
not  written  in  a  D'Este  court  (like  that  of  Serassi)  to  please 
the  Duke  of  Modena.    Only  it  is  not  written  by  Manso,  but 


372 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


by  Fiamma.  I  found  that  out,  and  it  is  confirmed  by  Gamba 
(Testi  di  Lingua).  Manso  was  the  author  of  the  anecdotes 
at  the  end,  which  caused  the  mistake.  See,  in  the  Life,  the 
letter  written  by  Manso  to  the  High  Admiral  of  Naples.  It 
is  one  of  Tasso's  visions,  the  more  trustworthy  as  Manso  was 
incredulous.  .  .  . — Yours  very  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


204. — William  Bell  Scott  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  leaf  of  Shelley's  Revolt  of  Islam  with  which  Scott 
presented  me  is  most  indisputably  in  the  poet's  own  hand- 
writing. Scott  had  received  it,  I  think,  from  Mr  Lewes  many 
years  before.  It  is  now  in  the  collection  of  autographs 
formed  by  my  daughter  Helen.] 

[33  Elgin  Road,  London.] 
30  November  1868. 

Dear  W., — Here  is  the  leaf  of  TJie  Revolt  of  Islam — in 
Shelley's  own  hand  (?)... 

Don't  you  think  Gabriel's  beginning  to  take  an  interest 
in  his  poetry  a  very  good  thing  ?  At  Penkill  we  had  most 
serious  talks  about  the  chances  of  his  powers  of  painting — 
a  matter  on  which  I  may  write  or  speak  to  none  but  you. 
I  tried  by  every  means  to  make  him  revive  his  poetry,  but 
apparently  without  effect.  Now,  however,  he  is  really  doing 
so.  Of  course  one  trusts  the  defective  sight  is  only  tem- 
porary ;  still  one  must  not  forget  that  his  eyes  have  not  been 
strong  for  some  time. — Yours  ever, 

W.  B.  Scott. 


WILLIAM  BELL  SCOTT,  1868 


373 


205. — William  Bell  Scott  to  William  Rossettl 

33  Elgin  Road. 
2  December  [1868.] 

Dearest  W., — Most  welcome  to  the  leaf  of  Shelley — 
keep  it  altogether  if  you  like.  .  .  . 

I  asked  Lewes  about  Harriet  and  the  life  she  led  ;  he 
having  in  the  old  time  had  the  intention,  which  it  appears 
was  set  aside  by  the  Shelley  family,  of  writing  memoirs. 
He  says  she  first  was  taken  up  by  a  man,  and,  when 
abandoned  by  him,  she  took  to  any  one.  One  would  say 
it  is  just  the  same  in  effect  as  being  on  the  street,  as  far 
as  he  learned  from  Leigh  Hunt  and  others ;  but  that  she 
was  not  in  a  brothel,  I  suppose.  He  exonerates  Shelley, 
but  that  can  only  be  done  by  supposing  him  weak  and 
little  perceptive.  To  suppose  him  so  egotistical  that  he 
did  not  think  of  her  at  all  is  not  to  exonerate  him.  Lewes 
says  he  believes  he  could  bring  you  in  contact  with  Mrs 
Hogg,  widow  of  the  biographer  (formerly  Mrs  Williams, 
who  was  with  Shelley  at  the  last),  a  vivid  old  woman,  who 
remembers  much  of  Shelley, — if  you  care.  If  you  do,  write 
either  him  or  me,  and  say  so ;  to  write  him  would  be  the 
shortest.  He  says  he  thinks  he  knows  you.  His  address 
is — The  Priory,  North  Road,  Grove  Road,  near  Regent's 
Park. 

About  Gabriel  —  the  short  ending  to  his  ills,  in  the 
worst  case,  was  of  course  often  spoken  of  by  him.  But 
we  must  not  think  of  the  possibility  of  that,  even  under 
the  dire  misfortune.  I  could  not  strongly  dissuade  him, 
but  I  feel  that  it  must  not  be  thought  of  But  he  is 
poet  as  well  as  painter,  and  was  a  poet  before  he  was  a 
painter ;  and  even  in  the  interval  of  rest — we  must  acknow- 
ledge to  the  disturbance  of  his  sight,  even  to  outsiders — 
it  would  be  a  great  thing  to  get  him  to  be  the  poet  again. 
I  wonder  his  spirits  don't  break  down,  doing  nothing  so 
long. — Ever  yours, 

W.  B.  Scott. 


374 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


206. — William  Allingham  to  William  Rossettl 

Lymington. 

4  December  1868. 

Dear  William, — I  congratulate  you  on  the  Shelley  under- 
taking, and  am  glad  it  is  in  such  excellent  hands.  As  to 
myself,  I  love  Shelley  no  less  ;  but  from  the  critical  study  of 
his  poetry  I  have  drifted  away,  and  have,  I  think,  no  avail- 
able notes.  .  .  . 

I  know  Sir  Percy  Shelley.  ...  I  have  met  Shelley's  two 
sisters  at  dinner  (I  mean  the  Poet's — "Bysshe"  as  they 
always  call  him) — one  of  them  curiously  like  him,  and  most 
ready  to  talk  of  him.    I  will  write  you  again  by  and  by. 

Of  course  you  do  not  expect  to  find  every  flourish  and 
fantasy  of  Shelley's  rhyme  reducible  to  logical  prose.  In 
any  case  he  loved  to  tread  on  the  confines  of  the  expressible. 
He  wrote  a  vile  hand  * — seldom  corrected  proofs  himself — 
and  left  much  in  fragmentary  and  chaotic  condition.  .  .  . — 
Yours,  believe  me, 

W.  A. 


207. — William  Allingham  to  William  Rossettl 

Lymington. 
18  December  1868. 

Dear  William, —  .  .  .lanthe  (S[helley]'s  daughter  by  his 
first  marriage)  is  now  Mrs  Esdaile,  and  is  living  at  or  near 
Cheltenham — or  was  lately.  His  two  sisters  whom  I  met 
are  Hellen  and  Margaret :  Elizabeth  is  dead. 

I  called  again  on  Sir  Percy  and  Lady  Shelley  after  receiv- 
ing your  first  letter,  and  spent  last  Saturday  to  Monday  with 
them  at  Wood  Vale,  Cowes,  where  they  have  taken  a  house 

*  I  do  not  agree  in  this.  Shelley  could  write  a  very  good  hand  when 
he  liked — and  often  he  did  like. 


WILLIAM  ALLINGHAM,  1868 


375 


for  a  year.  Their  own  place  is  Boscombe,  near  Christchurch. 
The  Shelley  relics  (MSS.  etc.)  are  at  present  in  a  banker's 
safe.  Field  Place  is  Sir  Percy's,  but  now  let  to  a  Gas- 
Engineer.  It  has  a  new  colonnade,  but  is  otherwise  little 
altered. 

As  to  the  question  of  revision  and  correction,  I  found  the 
Shelleys  cautious  in  giving  any  opinion — and  opposed  to 
conjectural  emendations.  I  think  they  would  possibly  (with 
luck  and  opportunity  helping)  be  induced  to  allow  an  exa- 
mination of  the  MSS.,  which  it  seems  are  no  joke  to 
decipher. 

As  to  the  Life^  there  is  no  new  material  attainable  at 
present.  One  could  only  make  a  narrative  out  of  the  six  or 
eight  Shelley-books  we  have. 

Special  commentary  on  obscure  points  of  a  delicate 
nature  would,  in  my  opinion,  be  extremely  undesirable,  and 
under  the  circumstances  very  useless, — would  give  great 
pain  to  worthy  living  people,  and  could  show  no  sufficient 
authority.  Hogg,  for  instance  (as  Lady  Shelley  assured 
me),  not  only  jumbled  dates,  but  altered  the  wording  of 
letters.  Whatever  be  the  case  as  to  facts,  one  may  well 
consent  to  be  reticent  of  surmises — especially  painful  ones. 
.  .  .  Shelley's  sexual  feeling  was  always  and  inseparably 
mingled  up  with  intellectual  and  moral  enthusiasm.  I  most 
strongly  counsel  you  to  avoid  guesses  in  the  dark.  .  .  . — 
Very  truly  yours, 

W.  Allingham. 

I  have  received  TJie  Cenci,  which  I'll  return ;  and  my 
opinion  as  to  the  Thou's  and  Yo?i's  is  distinctly  that  you 
should  let  them  "  bide  as  they  be "  (as  folk  say  here) :  I 
mean,  as  Shelley  put  'em.  They  are  mixed  quite  in  the 
manner  of  the  Elizabethan  Dramatists,  of  whom  S[helley] 
was  so  full  while  writing  The  Cenci^  and  whose  ideas,  and 
phrases  even,  crop  up  not  seldom  in  the  modern  dramatist's 
performance. 


376 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


208.— William  Rossetti  to  William  Allingham. 

56  EusTON  Square. 

20  Decetnber  [1868]. 

Dear  Allingham, — .  .  .  About  Shelley  ...  I  think  you 
must  have  rather  misapprehended  my  point  of  view.  I 
never  proposed  to  be  other  than  "  reticent  of  surmises, 
especially  painful  ones,"  or  to  indulge  in  "guesses  in  the 
dark."  What  I  said  (if  I  remember  the  phrase  in  my 
former  note)  was  that,  if  I  acquired  the  certainty  or  convic- 
tion (of  course  based  on  evidence)  that  so-and-so  was  true, 
I  should  think  the  proper  office  of  a  biographer  would  be 
to  say  as  much.  .  .  .  Thus  much  to  clear  away  any  mis- 
apprehension :  but  perhaps  we  still  differ  somewhat  about 
the  essentials.  For  myself,  I  think  that  to  give  the  world 
a  correct  idea  of  the  character  of  so  great  a  man  as  Shelley 
is — if  the  two  things  clash — an  object  of  greater  moment 
than  the  feelings  of  worthy  living  persons :  and  Shelley, 
who  scarcely  wrote  a  page  which  would  not,  or  which  was 
not  intended  to,  ruffle  some  worthy  living  persons,  would 
I  apprehend  be  the  last  man  to  uphold  a  contrary  view. 

As  for  Swinburne,  I  shall  certainly  show  him  my  text 
and  notes  when  occasion  offers :  opining  that  nobody  is 
better  qualified  to  keep  me  in  the  right  on  these  points. 
If  my  deliberate  opinion  differs  from  his  on  any  point,  I 
shall  stick  to  my  own.  About  the  Life,  it  may  or  may  not 
happen  that  he  sees  it  before  publication, — and  will  make 
no  difference  either  way. 

Much  obliged  for  your  advice  about  Cenci,  Thou  and  You. 
Gabriel  said  "  Make  everything  uniform  : "  but  I  have  not 
the  remotest  idea  of  doing  that.  I  think  however  that, 
if  I  find  (say)  one  Thou  among  eleven  You's  in  one  same 
speech,  I  must  alter  that :  explaining  of  course  in  my 
notes.  My  impression  is  that  characteristic  negligence  had 
much  more  to  do  with  Shelley's  practice  in  that  matter 
than  Elizabethan  precedent :  and  indeed  that  the  Elizabethan 


W.  J.  STILLMAN,  1868 


377 


precedent  is  itself  mere  carelessness — when  it  is  a  case  of 
jumble,  not  of  significant  variation. 

I  have  been  re-reading  Zastrozzi  and  5/  Irvyne.  What 
incredible  performances ! 

With  all  thanks  and  greetings, — Yours  always, 

W.  M.  ROSSETTI. 


209.— W.  J.  Stillman  to  William  Rossettl 

Athens. 
22  December  1868. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  enclose  the  remainder  of  The  Cretan 
Insurrection.  You  will  find  two  or  three  pages  of  corrections 
to  be  made  in  the  part  already  in  your  hands,  with  new 
beginning  ;  which  are  necessary  to  adapt  the  same,  written 
for  Macniillan's,  for  Fraser's.  I  have  made  it  as  concise,  I 
think,  as  it  will  bear,  and  hope  that  Fraser  will  be  able  to 
print  it  at  once  before  the  thing  loses  its  interest  or  historical 
value.  You  may  assure  Froude  that,  as  far  as  facts  go,  it  is 
as  accurate  as  contemporary  history  can  hope  to  be.  I  have 
not  dealt  much  in  figures  because  I  have  rarely  been  able  to 
get  numerical  estimates  from  reliable  people. 

I  believe  the  insurrection  to  be  pretty  near  its  end,  the 
policy  of  the  Greek  Ministry  having  been  one  of  repression ; 
and  the  expedition  of  Petropoulaki,  instead  of  Coroneos,  has 
finished  it  morally,  as  I  think  it  was  intended  by  Bulgaris 
that  it  should.  The  Greek  Government  is  now  playing  a 
little  comedy  which  is  intended  to  save  the  King  and  his 
friends  from  the  Greek  people,  but  it  will  not  succeed  except 
momentarily.  The  preparations  for  war,  etc.  etc.,  are  all 
paper  and  braggadocio :  and  no  one  in  the  Government  has 
the  least  intention  of  fighting,  or  doing  anything  to  lead  to 
fighting,  though,  in  playing  with  their  feu  d'artifice,  some 
sparks  may  get  into  the  powder-magazine,  and  blow-up  King 
and  all.  .  .  . 

The  winter  here  is  charming,  and  we  have  many  English 


378 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


here,  some  of  whom  I  like  much.  I  find  Athens  every  way 
preferable  to  Rome,  or  even  Florence,  as  a  winter-residence. 
It  is  further  from  the  centres  of  European  politics  and  interest, 
and  the  Athenians,  with  all  their  intelligence  and  love  of 
news,  have  not  one  good  newspaper. — Yours  sincerely, 

W.  J.  Stillman. 


210.— William  Rossetti— Diary. 

1869.  Sunday^  3  January. — Mr  Ford  *  having  told  me  that 
he  is  about  to  send  me  up  the  MS.  of  his  translation  of  the 
Purgatorio,  and  that  he  regrets  my  not  having  had  my  trans- 
lation published  to  consult,  I  sent  him  the  MS.  as  far  as  it 
goes — 19  cantos. 

Monday^  4  January. — Began  a  tabular  compendium  •f*  of 
the  facts  etc.  of  Shelley's  life,  compiled  from  the  notes  I  have 
taken  from  the  various  books  bearing  hereon — and  still  am 
taking.  When  this  compendium  is  done,  it  will,  I  am  in 
hopes,  be  a  great  step  towards  the  actual  writing  of  the 
Memoir. 

Tuesday^  5  January. — Going  on  with  this,  which  will  be 
a  long  and  somewhat  tedious  job.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  7  January. — Browning  and  others  came  to 
Euston  Square.  B[rowning]  speaks  with  great  enthusiasm 
of  a  poem  by  Donne  named  Metempsychosis.  He  says  that 
several  emendations  introduced  into  the  Posthumous  Poems  of 
Shelley  are  his  suggestions.  Supposes,  but  is  not  quite  sure, 
that  these  emendations  appear  in  the  three  current  forms  of 
S[helley]  as  now  published  by  Moxon.  His  Son  is  going, 
not  to  Balliol  College,  Oxford  (as  originally  intended),  but  to 
Christ  Church :  B[rowning]  found  that  at  Balliol  nothing 
would  do  but  hard  study  of  minutiae,  and  for  this  his  Son 
has  no  special  turn.    Dilberoglue  considers  Shelley's  word 

*  The  Rev.  Prebendary  James  Ford,  of  Bath. 

t  Eventually  I  made  a  present  of  this  compendium  to  my  friend  Mr 
Buxton  Forman. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTl— DIARY,  1869  379 


"  Epipsychidion "  is  not  correct  Greek  :  it  would  mean  (as 
far  as  its  meaning  can  be  fixed)  "Concerning  the  soul — 
matters  spiritual."  *  Miss  Ingelow  showed  considerable, 
though  not  an  artistic,  interest  in  the  Japanese  coloured 
prints  etc.  in  our  dining-room  etc.  Old  Mr  Potter,t  aged 
seventy-six,  still  full  of  vigour  and  animation.  It  is,  I 
suppose,  six  or  seven  years  since  I  have  seen  him,  and  I 
dare  say  twenty  to  twenty-five  since  Gabriel  saw  him.  All 
Brown's  three  children  send  first  pictures  to  the  forthcoming 
water-colour  exhibition  at  the  Dudley  Gallery : — Lucy,  a 
figure  of  Cathy  painting;  Cathy,  portrait  of  one  of  the  Epps 
girls  ;  Nolly  (I  suppose)  Jason  and  tJie  Centaur.  .  .  . 

Friday,  8  January, — Passed  the  proof  (which  reached  me 
last  night)  of  the  article  on  Ruskin  I  wrote  for  The  Broadivay 
about  a  year  ago.  .  .  . 

Monday,  1 1  January. — Gave  Tupper  a  sitting  for  the 
medallion-head  he  is  doing  of  me.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  \2  January. — Called  at  Brown's  to  see  the  water- 
colours  which  Lucy,  Cathy,  and  Nolly,  are  sending  to  the 
Dudley  Gallery.  They  are  all  remarkable  :  Cathy's,  I  think, 
the  least  so,  though  that  also  promises  good  tinting  and 
surface.  Lucy's  is  excellent  in  tone  and  keeping,  and  Nolly's 
surprising.  Brown's  water-colour  Elijah  and  Widow's  Son, 
and  Rovieo  and  Juliet,  also  visible  ;  and  some  works  by  P.  P. 
Marshall  and  Miss  Miller.^— The  Son  of  Rev.  Mr  Ford  left 
me  the  MS.  of  his  Father's  Purgatorio. — Swinburne  came  for 
a  Shelley  discussion.  .  .  .  He  is  strenuous  for  sticking  to  the 
texts  revised,  or  which  might  have  been  revised,  by  Shelley 
himself:  urges  the  restoration  of  Laon  and  CytJina  bodily — 
but  this  I  shan't  do.  On  various  points  he  convinced  me 
that  alterations  which  I  had  introduced — however  plausible — 
had  better  be  excluded  ;  and  this  I  sJiall  do.  Got  no  further 
than  the  Prometheus  in  reading  him  the  principal  of  my 
notes.    He  is  excessively  enthusiastic  about  Browning's  new 

I  believe  this  should  rather  be  "  A  Song  on  the  Soul." 
t  Mr  Cipriani  Potter  the  Musician,  my  Godfather. 
%  A  Daughter  of  Mr  John  Miller  of  Liverpool,  and  Sister  to  Mrs  P. 
P.  Marshall. 


380 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


poem :  also  about  the  Mdhabhdrata,  which  he  has  been 
looking  at  in  a  French  translation  under  the  auspices  of 
Bendyshe.*  .  .  . 

Monday^  i8  January. — Went  to  Furnivall's,  to  talk  over 
with  Ward  his  collation  of  Chaucer's  Knighfs  Tale  and 
Boccaccio's  Teseide — which  W[ard]  tells  me  is  much  indebted 
to  the  Thebaid  of  Statius.  Furnivall  says  that  his  Father,  a 
physician  (or  surgeon  ?)  at  Egham,  attended  the  second  Mrs 
Shelley  in  at  least  one  of  her  confinements.  S[helley]  was 
then  living,  he  understands,  at  Marlow  ;  though  Bishopgate 
(where  S[helley]  had  lived  before  Marlow)  is  much  nearer  to 
Egham,  and  F[urnivall]  thinks  it  likely  Dr  F[urnivall]  may 
have  been  first  called  in  during  the  Bishopgate  residence.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  24  January. — Gabriel  called.  He  says  that 
Inchbold  has  for  some  while  past  had  to  give  up  his  own 
lodgings,  and  had  been  living  at  Brett's :  B[rett]  going 
abroad,  he  had  transferred  himself  to  Jones,  without  (it  would 
seem)  any  definite  invitation.  Jones  however  is  also  now 
out  of  town,  and  Inchbold  houses  with  Howell.  Gabriel  has 
written  another  sonnet,  A  Superscription :  has  selected  six- 
teen sonnets,  and  sent  them  to  the  Fortnightly  for  the 
March  number.  He  thinks  he  must  have  by  him  altogether 
at  least  fifty  sonnets  which  he  would  be  willing  to  publish. 
Scott  also  has  of  late  been  writing  sonnets  at  a  great 
rate.  .  .  . 

Monday^  25  January. —  .  .  .  Hotten  .  .  .  says  Swin- 
burne's novel  in  the  form  of  letters  f  (of  which  I  have  often 
heard,  but  never,  I  think,  read  any  of  it,  only  of  a  different 
and  later  novel)  is  being,  or  about  to  be,  published  anony- 
mously in  America.  Swinburne  had  offered  it  to  Hotten 
himself;  but  he,  thinking  it  would  make  little  or  no  impres- 
sion if  anonymous,  declined.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  26  January. —  .  .  .  Houghton  brought  me  the 

*  Mr  Bendyshe  was  a  singular  unconventional-minded  man  ;  he 
became  for  a  while  Editor  of  The  Reader  (a  journal  resembling  The 
AtheiKXuni). 

t  I  am  unable  to  say  whether  the  American  publication  did  actually 
ensue  or  not. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  381 


final  circulars  in  Mrs  Morten's  case,  for  me  to  send  to  those 
who  subscribed  at  my  instance.  He  says  he  is  now  less 
colour-blind  than  in  general,  and  wants  to  paint,  and  almost 
relinquish  woodcut-designing.  .  .  .  The  tints  of  green  perplex 
him  much  ;  and  he  finds  a  difficulty  in  distinguishing  crimson- 
lake  from  burnt  siena.  No  wonder  the  colour  of  his  pictures 
lacks  some  accomplishments.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  3  February. — Called  on  J.  B.  Payne  about  his 
proposal  received  25  January.  He  has  an  idea  of  bringing- 
out  a  series  of  English  Poets,  non-copyright  works,  very 
cheap ;  a  publication  similar  to  one  by  Nimmo,  but  in  better 
taste.  Longfellow  would  be  the  first :  followed  by  Scott, 
Byron,  Shelley,  Thomson,  Keats,  Selections,  etc.  etc.  He 
says  Nimmo's  edition  gives  substantially  the  whole  of  Byron 
for  three  and  sixpence,  and  his  would  be  on  much  the  same 
scale  of  price.  For  these  books  he  wishes  to  obtain  brief 
prefatory  memoirs,  with  some  critical  estimate  (say  18  to 
20  pp.  apiece) ;  and  wishes  besides  to  have  a  proper  selection 
made  of  the  editions  to  be  printed  from.  This,  without  any 
following  of  the  text  through  the  press,  would  constitute  the 
editorial  work,  and  is  what  he  asks  me  to  undertake.  I  pro- 
posed to  do  it  for  £2$  per  book,  excluding  selections,  for 
which  I  would  charge  higher :  he  replied  that  his  calculations 
admitted  of  only  £21  per  book  (allowing  the  same  excep- 
tion) :  and,  as  the  price  possible  to  be  paid  must  evidently  be 
a  leading  consideration,  I  assented  to  this.  .  .  .  He  wants 
also  to  have  a  few  illustrations  per  volume,  etchings  prefer- 
entially :  some  figure-subjects,  and  others  (where  the  poems 
are  of  a  less  definite  character)  landscape  or  fancy-pieces. 
He  wishes  to  get  these  good,  but  not  from  a  man  of  such 
position  as  to  demand  a  heavy  price.  I  named  Shields  and 
Smetham,  and  have  now  written  to  Gabriel  to  consider  further 
about  this  point.  He  does  not  fancy  Hughes  (whose  Enoch 
Arden  he  disliked),  nor  Sandys,  whom  he  does  not  regard 
as  safe  for  punctuality  etc.  I  told  him  that  the  alterations 
I  am  making  in  the  text  of  Shelley  would  be  incompatible 
with  the  retention  of  his  stereotype-plates — at  any  rate,  for 
one  edition  :  this  did  not  seem  to  disconcert  him,  as  I  had 


382 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


rather  expected  it  would,  and  indeed  he  appeared  to  think 
the  fate  of  one  of  his  editions  must  govern  the  other  two.  .  .  . 
Payne  says  Mrs  Hogg  (Williams)  has  turned  religious,  and 
is  not  easy  to  get  anything  out  of  regarding  Shelley  (though 
this  differs  from  what  I  heard  in  another  quarter).  He  could 
not  obtain  through  her  any  clue  to  the  conclusion  of  Hogg's 
Life  of  S\Jielley\  though  known  to  be  written  ;  but  there  is 
(or  was)  a  Brother  of  Hogg  alive  who  is  communicative 
enough  as  far  as  his  knowledge  extends.  Payne  says  an 
injunction  was  obtained  to  stop  the  use  by  Hogg  of  docu- 
ments entrusted  to  him  by  the  Shelley  family :  but  H[ogg] 
said  this  would  not  stop  his  writing  the  completion  of  the 
Life,  as  he  remembered  letters  etc.  This  account,  if  correct, 
would  considerably  damp  one's  confidence  as  to  the  contents 
of  the  concluding  volumes,  should  they  ever  appear. 

Thursday,  4  February. — My  Shelley  revision  and  Memoir 
were  mentioned  in  last  AthencEum.  I  have  therefore  thought 
it  best  to  write  to  Garnett,  who  might  otherwise  fancy  I 
am  poaching  on  his  preserves  ;  and  have  explained  that  the 
only  memoir  now  bespoken  is  a  prefatory  memoir  to  accom- 
pany the  poems,  but  that  I  might  perhaps  at  a  future  time 
set-to  and  use  up  my  accumulated  materials  in  a  Life  forming 
a  separate  book.  .  .  .  Hunt  is  still  in  Florence,  and  per- 
sonally occupied,  it  appears,  on  some  of  the  carving-work  for 
his  Wife's  tomb.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  7  February. — It  seems  that  Mrs  Hogg  ...  is  to 
be  met  with  sometimes  at  Lewes's.  Scott  some  while  ago 
mooted  to  L[ewes]  my  Shelley  affair,  and  L[ewes]  proposed 
that  I  might  call,  and,  if  luck  served,  meet  Mrs  H[ogg]  :  and 
the  other  day  he  suggested  to-day  for  the  call  —  without 
however  bringing  Mrs  H[ogg]  into  question.  I  called  ac- 
cordingly with  Scott ;  Mrs  H[ogg]  not  there.  Mrs  Lewes 
says  she  does  come  sometimes,  but  not  often.  I  was  in- 
troduced to  Mrs  L[ewes],  whom  I  had  seen,  but  never  been 
made  known  to  before.  Her  face,  manner,  and  conversation, 
show  great  intellectual  sensibility.  She  spoke  with  much 
enthusiasm  of  the  Prometheus  Unbound  and  The  Cenci : 
objects  however  to  the  subject  of  the  latter,  and  demurs  to 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869 


383 


my  saying  the  Prometheus  is  the  greatest  English  poem  since 
Milton—interruptions  prevented  my  ascertaining  what  she 
would  prefer  to  it.  She  exalts  Shelley  above  Byron,  and  his 
blank  verse  above  Tennyson's.  Some  talk  about  spiritualism, 
which  Lewes,  and  also  evidently  Mrs  L[ewes],  repudiate. 
Mrs  Bodichon  here.  Algeria  does  not  now  suit  her  health 
well — never  has  done  so  since  she  had  an  African  fever  some 
little  while  back.  She  feels  much  the  alienation  (though 
they  are  still  excellent  friends)  which  has  ensued  between 
herself  and  Mrs  Belloc  (Bessie  Parkes)  in  consequence  of  the 
conversion  of  the  latter  to  Catholicism.  It  seems  the  chief 
motive  cause  of  this  conversion  was  that  Mrs  Belloc,  on 
studying  the  subject,  was  greatly  impressed  by  the  immense 
agencies  which  the  Catholic  Church  has  in  all  ages  set  going 
for  material  and  moral  reforms. — Scott  has  sold  to  Ellis  for 
£^0  his  translation  of  Durer's  Diary  etc.  .  .  .  Lewes  (so  Mrs 
L[ewes]  informs  me)  knew  Mrs  Shelley,  and  thought  her 
a  somewhat  conventional  person,  by  no  means  capable  of 
responding  to  the  innermost  feelings  of  Shelley. 

Monday^  8  February. — Brown,  Jones,  Morris,  and  others, 
at  Chelsea.  Morris  is  writing  at  the  2nd  Series  of  The 
Earthly  Paradise :  some  I20  lines  yesterday,  and  140  the  day 
before.  He  has  got  to  the  story  of  Bellerophon — which  he 
finds  growing  under  his  hand  to  scarcely  manageable  dimen- 
sions. Howell  says  that  the  cause  between  Ruskin  and  Calvert 
will  be  coming  into  Court  after  all.  Among  the  Turners  left  to 
the  National  Gallery  were  a  large  number  of  a  great  degree 
of  indecency :  these  were  burned  by  Wornum  and  Ruskin, 
at  the  time  when  the  latter  was  arranging  the  bequest  at  the 
National  Gallery.  .  .  . 

Wednesday^  10  February. — Brown  called,  to  consult  as 
to  undertaking  the  illustration  of  the  proposed  series  of 
English  Poets.  He  offers  (assuming  an  endurable  price) 
to  illustrate  the  entire  series;  making  bold  drawings  on  a 
largeish  scale,  to  be  photographed  in  small  on  to  the  wood, 
and  so  engraved.  He  is  not  in  favour  of  etchings,  nor  of  full- 
page  illustrations.  Would  not  object  to  having  Smetham 
as  coadjutor  for  landscape  or  fancy-pieces,  .  .  , 


384 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Friday,  12  Febriiary. — Wrote  to  Payne,  naming,  in  con- 
nexion with  the  illustrating  of  the  proposed  series  of  British 
Poets,  Brown,  Smetham,  and  Nettleship.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  16  February. —  .  .  .  The  papers  announce,  to 
my  concern  and  surprise,  the  death  of  my  old  friend  R.  B. 
Martineau — a  sterling  good  fellow  I  always  found  him.  I 
remember  he  had  had  one  or  two  very  severe  attacks  of 
rheumatism  or  rheumatic  gout  within  these  few  years.  Age 
43.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  18  February. — Payne  wrote  me  the  other  day 
about  the  proposed  illustrations  to  Poets,  and  also  asking 
when  Shelley  will  probably  be  ready  for  the  press.  I  reply 
to-day  saying  that  I  .  .  .  should  ask  £jQ  for  not  less  than 
50  nor  more  than  80  pp.  of  Memoir — £60  for  less  than  50 
— ;^8o  for  more  than  80.  .  .  .  Went  in  the  evening  with 
Mamma  and  Maria  to  St  James's  Hall,  to  hear  G.  A. 
Macfarren's  Cantata  from  Christina's  Songs  in  a  Cornfield 
(Leslie's  Concerts).  The  music  seems  to  me  decidedly  good 
— poetical  in  spirit,  and  not  ordinary.  It  was  well  received 
— the  Swallow-Song  by  Miss  Dolby  being  encored.  How- 
ever, my  impression  is  that,  as  the  poem  and  its  music 
continue  progressing  in  cheerlessness  to  the  close,  this  will 
be  a  great  obstacle  to  a  popular  success.  The  applause  at 
the  end  was  respectful,  but  not  impulsive.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  2 1  February. — Gabriel  called  in  Euston  Square  : 
he  is  engaged  on  a  Pandora  from  Mrs  Morris. 

Monday,  22  February. —  .  .  .  Payne  would  like  my  Memoir 
of  Shelley  to  be  longish,  going  on  towards  the  maximum 
of  100  pages.  He  agrees  to  my  proposal,  ;;^8o  for  anything 
beyond  80  pp. ;  and  offers  to  pay  two-thirds  of  the  whole  for 
Shelley  (^iio)  at  once  on  demand — which  is  handsome.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  24  February. — Replied  to  Payne's  letter, 
proposing  to  call  for  £^0  next  Wednesday.  As  regards 
the  illustrations  to  Poets,  I  expressed  reluctance  to  take 
the  initiative  with  a  general  list  of  artists ;  named  some 
others  who  might  be  added  to  such  a  list  (Scott,  Jones,  .  .  . 
A.  Moore,  Shields,  etc.) ;  and  communicated  the  substance 
of  what  Brown  has  said. — Mrs  Gilchrist  called  in  Euston 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI—DIARY,  1869  385 


Square.  .  .  .  Tennyson  has  not  yet  left  the  Isle  of  Wight ; 
but  is  having  a  house  built  in  the  Haslemere  district,  and 
has  taken  a  piece  of  waste  land  at  one  end,  so  as  to  serve 
as  a  gap  or  buffer  between  his  grounds  and  the  public.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  4  March. — Called  on  Payne  by  appointment : 
he  handed  me  a  cheque  for  Shelley  on  account — making 
it  out  for  the  full  two-thirds,  £j^,  though  I  had  only 
proposed  to  take  ^50.  He  wishes  to  start  the  republished 
Poets  about  October  next,  bringing  out  the  first  six 
volumes  all  in  a  lump — Longfellow,  Scott,  Byron,  Shelley, 
Wordsworth,  and  Moore.  .  .  .  Payne  renewed  the  subject 
of  my  soliciting  artists  to  do  the  designs.  .  .  .  The  only 
point  quasi-settled  was  that  he  will  now  call  on  Brown, 
and  also  on  Smetham  with  a  view  to  head  and  tail  pieces 
etc,  and  discuss  terms  with  them.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  6  March. — Called  on  Sandys's  invitation  to  see 
his  portrait  of  Mrs  Bairstow  finished — which  is  exceedingly 
good.  He  has  some  other  things  going  on,  and  altogether 
seems  in  more  settled  working-trim  than  usual,  were  it  not 
that  he  has  been  suffering  dreadfully  for  some  while  past  from 
boils  and  a  skin-eruption.  .  .  .  According  to  Sandys,  Payne 
has  disseminated  all  sorts  of  scandal  about  Gabriel  among 
others.  .  .  . 

Monday,  8  March. —  Dined  with  Garnett,  who  gave  me  a 
transcript  of  a  few  fragments  by  Shelley  not  yet  published, 
and  a  MS.  book  of  his  containing  some  unpublished  portions 
of  Charles  the  First,  which  I  shall  read  through,  and  may  use 
as  I  like — also  a  literal  translation  made  by  S[helley]  from 
parts  of  Faust  as  an  exercise  in  German.  There  are  yet 
other  scraps  of  S[helley]'s  writing  which  G[arnett]  will  copy 
out  in  time,  and  let  me  have.  Sir  Percy  Shelley  has  no 
children  :  I  saw  two  photographs  of  him,  in  which  I  don't 
trace  any  likeness  to  the  poet.  He  has  taste  and  facility  in 
music,  and  his  Father's  taste  for  the  water :  no  tendency  to 
sporting.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  9  March. — Began  deciphering  the  Shelley  MS. 
book ;  I  see  there  are  {inter  alia)  considerable  pickings  of 
Charles  the  First  to  be  got  out  of  it.    Also  began  looking 

2  B 


386 


tlOSSETTI  PAPERS 


up  at  the  British  Museum  editions  of  poets  (Longfellow 
to-day)  for  the  series  projected  by  Payne.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  1 1  March. — Payne  writes  me  that  Brown  has 
now  undertaken  to  do  the  illustrations  to  Byron,  to  begin 
with.  .  .  . 

Monday,  15  March. —  .  .  .  Payne  sent  me  round  Longfellow, 
Scott,  Byron,  Wordsworth,  and  Moore,  that  I  might  note 
the  Indexes  for  the  order  wherein  these  authors  are  to  be 
printed  in  the  forthcoming  series.  This  I  did  ;  going  upon 
the  general  (but  not  scrupulously  exact)  plan  of  dividing  the 
contents  into  long  poems,  short  poems,  and  translations,  and 
arranging  each  of  these  sections  according  to  date.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  17  March. —  . . .  Swinburne  had  lately  informed 
me  that  a  Miss  Rumble,  connected  with  Mrs  Gisborne,  is 
understood  to  be  in  possession  of  a  number  of  Shelley  relics. 
.  .  .  Garnett  (calling  on  me  in  the  evening  to  take  back  a 
Shelley  MS.)  believes  she  possesses  the  MS.  of  The  Cenci\ 
but  does  not  suppose  she  has  much — if  anything — in  the  way 
of  unpublished  MSS. 

Thursday,  18  March. — Norton  (from  America)  and  others 
dined  at  Cheyne  Walk.  N[orton]  says  that  Whitman  is 
inconveniently  rough  in  his  personal  appearance  etc. — will, 
for  instance,  call  in  a  red  shirt  in  a  family  where  there  are 
ladies ;  and  that  this  made  intercourse  with  him  by  cultivated 
people  difficult,  even  including  such  a  philosopher  as  Emerson 
— {yaleat  quantum).  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  done  two  new  sonnets — 
Pandora  (for  his  picture  now  in  progress)  and  Vain  Virtues. 
.  .  .  Brown  was  told  by  Payne  (when  he  called  to  negotiate 
about  the  Byron  illustrations,  which  by  the  by  are  to  be 
done — eight — for  the  small  sum  of  £40)  that  Harriet  Shelley 
drowned  herself,  because,  having  descended  to  the  condition 
of  a  street-walker,  she  had  been  out  all  night  and  caught  no 
one.  This  is  worth  bearing  in  mind  as  a  rumour ;  but  I 
place  no  reliance  on  it  whatever,  having  found  Payne's  notions 
on  Shelley  matters  very  inaccurate,  and  his  talk  generally  not 
of  the  kind  which  courts  rigid  verification.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  20  March.  —  Tebbs  tells  me  he  has  the 
original  unpublished  Queen  Mab,  which  I  must   look  up 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTT— DIARY,  1869  387 


when  I  return  from  my  approaching  trip  to  Rome  with 
Tupper. 

Sunday,  21  March. — Prepared  for  starting — to  Rugby  on 
Monday,  and  to  the  Continent  probably  on  Thursday.  .  .  . 

Monday,  22  March. — Left  London  2.45  P.M.,  to  spend  a 
day  or  two  with  Tupper  at  Rugby,  and  sit  for  medallion- 
head,  before  We  start  together  for  Rome.  .  .  . 

Friday,  26  March.  —  Started  at  7.40  for  Calais  and 
Paris.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  30  March.  —  A  brilliant  sunny  morning  at 
Marseilles.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  31  March. — Embarked  at  8  A.M.  The  boat  is 
Fraissinet's,  much  less  commodious  than  Valery's  by  which 
I  went  to  Naples  in  '66.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  3  April. — Reached  Civita  Vecchia  about  8  A.M., 
just  too  late  to  catch  the  morning  train.  Walked  through 
the  draggle-tailed  town,  entering  a  Church  where  there 
is  a  very  complete  display  of  bones,  skulls,  and  skeletons, 
in  a  side-chapel.  The  skeletons  bear  appositely  inscribed 
tablets,  and  some  of  them  are  habited  like  nuns  ;  others  hold 
a  scythe,  bear  a  crown,  etc.  Altogether  it  is  a  completer 
piece  of  the  mortuary  ghastly  than  I  have  seen  elsewhere. 
Called  the  Church  "della  Morte."  Saw  a  number  of  prisoners 
in  a  prison-yard  overlooked  by  the  town-ramparts  ;  dressed  in 
black-striped  brown.  A  French  soldier  on  the  spot  told 
me  they  were  Garibaldians  along  with  malefactors,  and  I 
threw  them  a  handful  of  half-franc  pieces:  afterwards  how- 
ever I  was  told  the  captured  Garibaldians  were  all  removed 
at  an  early  date  from  Civita  Vecchia.  Walked  out  on  a  moor 
beyond  the  ramparts,  and  saw  oxen  ploughing  with  a  very 
primitive  machine,  also  a  shepherd  with  his  flock  of  sheep. 
He  is  in  the  Italian  army-reserve,  but  for  the  present 
following  his  pastoral  calling.  Was  in  the  army  at  Custozza, 
and  expresses  great  admiration  of  the  Austrian  valour. 
Belongs  to  the  March  of  Ancona  (near  which  city  he  says 
there  has  just  been  a  tremendous  earthquake),  and  is  leading 
his  flock  there  within  the  coming  twenty  days. — Went  on  to 
Rome  at  1.45,  and  reached  the  city  about  5.30.    The  railway 


388 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


from  Civita  Vecchia  is  a  sorry  affair ;  the  second-class 
carriage  which  we  took  being  apparently  third  -  class  as 
well,  and  full  of  a  singularly  miscellaneous  sample  of  the 
Italian  mobocracy.  .  .  .  Put  up  at  the  Minerva,  which  is 
fairly,  but  it  seems  not  over-crowdedly,  full.  T[upper]  very 
unwell  with  his  bronchial  attack. 

Sunday April. —  ...  I  walked  into  the  Minerva  Church 
at  haphazard  ;  and  found  the  Pope  was  to  come  in  much 
state,  assist  at  Mass,  and  distribute  certain  dowries  to  a 
couple  of  dozen  or  so  of  girls — some  for  marriage,  and  others 
for  the  conventual  life.  It  was  a  noble  sight,  with  splendid 
choral  service.  Pope  borne  in  his  chair  and  wearing  triple 
crown  ;  afterwards  his  mitre  ;  and  at  times  only  the  white 
skull-cap.  He  looks  perhaps  older  and  more  passive  than 
most  of  the  portraits,  but  has  a  very  impressive  presence,  and 
his  voice  is  still  powerful  and  harmonious.  Saw  Antonelli 
and  Cardinal  Bonaparte,  but  not  very  clearly.  The  Minerva 
is  a  very  noble  interior,  of  Gothic  structure  (pointed  arches), 
but  wholly  renovated  from  1848  to  1855,  in  a  very  decorous 
and  complete  style  in  its  way,  though  no  doubt  those  who 
knew  it  before  might  find  the  present  aspect  of  the  Church  a 
sad  sight.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  6  April. — Began  the  day  by  .  .  .  going  through 
the  vile  nuisance  of  lodging-hunting.  We  cut  it  short,  and 
soon  pitched  upon  two  rooms,  71  Via  de'due  Macelli,  5  francs 
per  day.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  13  April. —  .  .  .  Took  a  cab,  and  went  to  a 
number  of  Churches  etc.  .  .  .  Santa  Prassede :  fine  mosaics. 
There  is  no  tomb  at  all  suggestive  of  Browning's  poem  of 
The  Bishop  orders  his  Tomb  at  St  Praxeds.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  15  April. —  .  .  .  Reached  Florence  about 
9.30  [P.M.]. 

Friday,  \6  April. —  .  .  .  Called  on  Kirkup,  who  is  recover- 
ing from  a  bad  rheumatism,  but  is  perfectly  deaf,  and  looks 
hardly  likely  to  last  long ;  on  Theodoric,  23  Piazza  di  Santo 
Spirito.  He  thinks  of  settling  in  England,  or  probably 
Scotland,  within  two  months  or  so  :  the  water  here  gave 
him  an  attack  of  gravel,  not  to  speak  of  his  bad  miliary 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  389 


fever.  Tupper  looked-up  Hunt,  whom  I  saw  in  the  evening. 
He  speaks  of  starting  for  Venice  on  Monday,  and  being  in 
Jerusalem  about  the  end  of  May. 

Saturday,  ly  April. — Went  to  the  Uffizi  and  Santo  Spirito. 
Tupper  and  I  dined  at  Theodoric's.  Theodoric  introduced  me 
to  Jarves*  and  his  Wife.  Saw  J[arves]'s  pictures.  He  has 
a  small  Leonardo  (Hunt  believes  it  to  be  a  genuine  one)  of 
The  Virgin  and  CJdld ;  a  Lippo  Lippi  of  ditto ;  a  ditto  of 
St  Jerome,  and  another  with  the  lion  ;  a  supposed  Giorgione 
of  a  pilgrim  sent  by  the  Pope  to  warn  a  Malatesta  against 
retaining  his  mistress  etc.  All  these  are  interesting  pictures, 
of  artistic  merit  proportional  to  their  attributions.  There 
are  several  others — a  picture  inscribed  apparently  as  by 
Cima  da  Conegliano  {^St  Jerome  in  Desert^,  etc.  etc.  .  .  . 

Monday,  ig  April. — About  7.30  A.M.  Tupper  entered  my 
room  half  dead  with  an  attack  of  spasms  which  had  begun 
about  midnight.  It  will  be  impossible  to  leave  to-day,  or  I 
dare  say  for  two  or  three  days  to  come.  I  went  at  once  for 
a  Doctor  named  in  Murray,  Dr  Wilson,  and  found  him  (at  a 
different  address).  He  couldn't  come  at  once  ;  and  mean- 
while Hunt  (who  had  turned  up,  greatly  to  my  consolation) 
sent  for  a  Dr  Duffy,  who  came,  and  at  last,  at  1 1  A.M.,  partially 
subdued  the  spasms,  hitherto  unintermitted.  More  or  less 
suffering  all  day  and  evening,  and 

Tuesday,  20  April. — After  I  had  administered  a  medicine 
ordered  by  Dr  Duffy,  at  3  A.M.,  a  horrible  spasm  seized  poor 
Tupper.  His  sufferings  continued  with  variations  till  arrival 
of  Dr  Duffy,  Doctor  says  that  the  case  is  the  severest  he  has 
ever  seen,  the  muscles  being  as  hard  as  bone  all  along  the 
abdomen,  and  as  contracted  as  a  clenched  fist :  more  like 
tetanus  than  anything  else.  He  tried  to-day  a  cutaneous 
injection  of  the  Calabar  bean.  Suggested  privately  to  me 
that,  if  Tupper  should  in  the  afternoon  continue  bad,  we 
should  (Hunt  and  I,  as  coming  from  ourselves)  suggest  to 
T[upper]  to  call-in  a  second  physician  of  eminence,  Dr  Burci. 
T[upper]  being  very  weak  in  the  afternoon,  and  still  in  per- 

*  Mr  Jarves  was  an  American  picture-collector,  and  I  believe 
picture-dealer,    He  wrote  one  or  two  books  on  fine  art, 


390 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


petual  and  severe  pain,  this  was  done.  Dr  B[urci]  confirms 
Dr  D[uffy]'s  treatment  (which  includes  a  number  of  minor  in- 
ternal and  external  applications  not  above  detailed) ;  and  pro- 
nounces the  disease  to  be  nervous  contraction  of  the  muscles 
of  the  lower  venter,  consequent  on  a  cold  {reuma) — not  much 
different  from  tetanus.  He  tells  me  however,  in  reply  to  my 
enquiry,  that  lockjaw  is  not  to  be  apprehended.  Both  the 
Doctors  declare  the  case  to  be  one  of  very  serious  and 
even  imminent  danger,  but  not  beyond  hope.  Theodoric, 
.  .  .  his  Wife,  and  Hunt,  are  most  prodigal  of  kind 
exertions  and  attentions.  All  this  is  a  most  melancholy 
state  of  things :  so  excellent  a  fellow  as  poor  Tupper,  and 
one  of  such  unusual  knowledge  and  capacity  of  enquiry,  to 
die  in  this  horrible  way  in  a  foreign  country,  as  the  result  of 
a  mere  pleasure-trip.  His  fortitude  surprises  every  one,  the 
Doctor  included  ;  who  says  he  never  saw  the  equal  of  it, 
nor  so  astonishing  and  obstinate  a  case  of  spasms.  A  ray  of 
hope  still  remains.  .  .  .  Tupper  .  .  .  insists  that  neither  of  his 
Brothers  must  come,  but  (if  any  one)  his  eldest  Sister  or 
Cousin  Deacon  :  so  I  again  telegraphed  to  that  effect.  .  .  . 
A  nurse  engaged,  at  my  proposal,  and  selected  by  Dr  D[uffy]. 

Wednesday,  21  April. — Tupper  passed  a  bad  night,  but 
not  quite  so  bad.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  22  April. — Tupper  improved  from  about  6.30 
A.M.,  the  spasms  having  subsided.  Another  telegram  to 
say  his  Sister  Kate  (not  George)  will  come.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  24  April. — Mrs  Lewis  arrived.  .  .  .  Theodoric 
introduced  me  to  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  and  to  Ansanti 
and  Ricciardi,*  who  is  very  Jewish-looking,  amusingly 
energetic  in  speech,  and  wants  me  to  push  in  London  his 
circulars  etc.  for  a  Council  of  Freethinkers  at  Naples,  in 
rivalry  of  the  Church-Council  at  Rome. 

Sufiday,  25  April — Tupper  continues  improving,  and 
may  now,  I  hope,  be  deemed  convalescent ;  though  much 
reduced,  and  with  the  question  of  affection  of  the  lungs 
as  the  origin  of  the  whole  illness  yet  unsettled,  so  far  as  I 

*  The  Conte  Giuseppe  Ricciardi,  a  vigorous  revolutionary  Repub- 
lican ;  he  had  known  me  in  boyhood, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  391 


know.  I  went  out  for  the  whole  day  with  Hunt,  who  is 
doing  a  Bianca  {JF anting  of  Shrew)  from  an  American  young 
lady.  He  has  some  good  things  that  he  has  picked  up ; — 
an  admirable  naked  Saint  in  Torment  by  Velasquez  ;  two 
Tintorets,  Miracles  of  S.  Rock  (?) ;  lovely  bas-relief  Virgin 
and  Child,  ascribed  to  Donatello  ;  etc.    Went  to  Fiesole.  .  .  . 

Monday,  26  April. —  ...  I  settled  to  go  to-morrow,  if 
the  Doctor  in  the  morning  should  see  no  reason  to  the 
contrary.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  27  April. — Dr  Duffy  examined  Tupper  care- 
fully, to  find  out  whether  or  not  his  lungs  are  affected. 
He  cannot  find  that  they  are.  .  .  .  The  Doctor  rather 
recommends  a  return  to  England  as  soon  as  may  be 
manageable.  .  .  .  Reached  Turin  at  night.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  i  May. —  .  .  .  Returned  to  London  by  the 
Calais  evening  express.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  5  May. — Wrote  to  Trelawny  (to  whom 
Kirkup  had  already  sent  some  intimation  on  the  subject)  ask- 
ing permission  to  consult  him  on  points  which  may  require 
elucidation  when  I  am  doing  the  Shelley  Memoir.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  6  May. —  .  .  .  Scott  .  .  .  has  sent  to  Linton  * 
in  America  the  portrait  of  Emerson  by  David  Scott :  Linton 
is  getting  on  flourishingly  there.  Gabriel  engaged  on 
Pandora,  and  on  a  head  of  Beatrice  f  (Mrs  Morris  the  sitter 
for  both).  He  says  that  he  is  informed  that  Hunt  and 
Woolner  went  lately  to  Craven,  the  owner  of  some  of 
G[abriel]'s  water-colours,  and  made — Hunt  especially — a 
virulent  attack  upon  these  works :  and  he  thinks  of  writing 
to  Hunt  to  say  that  they  must  henceforth  meet  as  strangers. 
For  my  part  I  strongly  suspect  that  H[unt]  did  no  more 
than  express  his  sincere  opinions  in  such  terms  as  any 
qualified  man  has  a  right  to  use.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  9  May. — Finished  giving  my  revised  Shelley 
another — and  I  hope  final — reading.  The  re-reading  of  my 
own  notes  still  remains  to  be  done.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  13  May. —  .  .  .  Christina  showed  me  a  letter, 

^  W,  J.  Linton,  the  excellent  wood-engraver, 
t  I  have  not  a  clear  idea  as  to  this  Beatrice, 


392 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


communicated  lately  to  her  by  Mrs  Eckley  *  from  a  Miss 
Stisted  (at  Villa  Stisted,  Bagni  di  Lucca) :  she  is  the  owner 
of  the  copy  of  Shelley's  Indian  Serenade  which  was  in  his 
pocket  when  his  corpse  was  recovered — and  also  the  copy  of 
it  written  out  by  Browning.  Miss  Stisted  wishes  to  dispose 
of  a  collection  of  autographs  she  has,  including  (I  understand) 
this  poem.  I  must  let  Garnett  know  of  this,  for  the  informa- 
tion of  the  Shelley  family,  and  also  of  the  British  Museum. — 
Trelawny  has  replied  to  my  letter :  he  is  out  of  town  now, 
but  says  he  will  write  again  on  his  return.  Made  a  beginning 
with  the  Memoir  of  Shelley. 

Friday,  14  May. — Wrote  to  Garnett  about  the  above  affair 
of  Miss  Stisted  ;  also  mentioned  it  to  Frederick  Locker,  on 
whom  I  called  in  the  afternoon  to  see  the  writings  of  Shelley 
in  his  possession.  He  has — i,  a  valuable  letter  of  Shelley 
from  Italy  to  Peacock,  published  in  Eraser  by  P[eacock]  ; 
2,  a  letter  from  S[helley]  to  Leigh  Hunt,  published  in  Htmfs 
Correspondence,  but  with  a  long  P.S.  by  Mrs  Shelley  which 
(to  the  best  of  my  recollection)  is  unpublished  ;  3,  a  letter  of 
Shelley  to  one  of  his  lawyers  or  men  of  business  (Parker,  if 
memory  serves)  dated  181 5,  saying  that  he  wants  ^500,  and 
objecting  to  a  cutting-down  of  timber  proposed  by  his 
Father ;  4,  a  string  of  verses  addressed  by  S[helley]  to 
Graham,  date  probably  about  1812  or  181 3.  .  .  .  I  copied 
out  these  verses,  which  are  by  no  means  so  bad  as  most  of 
S[helley]'s  juvenilia  ;  but  they  are.  .  .  .  unfilial  .  .  .  Locker  also 
has  by  him  ...  a  letter  of  Leigh  Hunt's,  saying  that  Arthur 
Hallam  was  writing  something  t  about  "  Signor  Rossetti's 
strange  theories  concerning  Dante."  He  has  a  few  good 
works  of  art ;  red-chalk  drawing  by  Michelangelo  of  the 
body  of  Adam,  in  the  Sixtine  Chapel  Creation  of  Adam ; 
three  pen-drawings  by  Titian,  very  fine,  two  of  them  remark- 
able tree-studies  ;  a  small  Cranach  picture  of  TJie  Fall  of 
Man ;  Watteau,  sketch  oil-picture  for  a  larger  one  of  a 
Wedding-procession,  excellent ;  Death  of  Laocoon,  drawing 

*  An  American  lady,  who  saw  Christina  several  times, 
t  This    was    published — named    Remarks    o)i    Rossetti's  Spirito 
Antipapate, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  393 


ascribed  by  Robinson  to  da  Vinci,  though  I  should  doubt 
it ;  an  indecent  pair  of  small  pictures  by  Hogarth ;  wonder- 
fully finished  small  head-drawing  by  Holbein — etc.  etc. 
Also  an  autograph  receipt  of  Michelangelo's  signed  "  Michel- 
agnolo  [or  angelo]  Schultore ; "  and  the  original  edition  of 
Browning's  Paracelsus,  with  B[rowning]'s  numerous  MS. 
corrections  for  the  re-issue,  given  to  him  by  B[rowning]. 

Thursday,  20  May. — Tupper  returned  from  abroad  last 
night.  I  went  round  to  G[eorge]  Tupper's  to  see  him  this 
evening,  and  find  him  in  what  might  be  considered  his 
ordinary  state  of  health,  though  a  little  pulled  down.  He  is 
taking  cod-liver  oil  ;  has  got  rid  of  his  cough  and  spitting, 
and  says  he  is  now  better  than  when  he  started  from  England 
for  Rome.  To-morrow  he  returns  to  Rugby. — Sent  to  the 
Editor  of  The  Pall  Mall  Gazette  the  circular  which  Ricciardi 
gave  me  in  Florence  relative  to  the  proposed  meeting  of 
Freethinkers  in  Naples.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  25  May.  —  Wilson,  the  Bookseller  in  Great 
Russell  Street,  informs  me  that  Medvvin,  the  biographer  of 
Shelley  etc.,  is  still  living,  but  with  very  decayed  faculties  : 
he  is  residing  at  or  near  Horsham  at  present.  He  must 
be  about  eighty,  I  compute. 

Wednesday,  26  May.  —  Went  to  the  R.A.  Millais's 
Vanessa  is  most  splendid — perhaps  his  finest  piece  of  work. 
Cathy  Brown's  At  the  Opera,  surprisingly  good  under  the 
circumstances.  One  Robinson,  whose  name  I  notice  for 
the  first  time,  has  a  remarkable  picture  of  Troubadou7's, 
poetical  in  its  affinities. 

Thursday,  27  May. — Cayley  tells  me  that  the  Poems  of 
Simcox,  who  wrote  a  Prometheus  Unbound  in  completion 
of  .^schylus,  are  very  good.  He  has  been  invited  to  join 
the  staff  of  The  Daily  Telegraph,  as  translator  of  foreign 
telegrams  :  this  would  require  his  attendance  at  the  office 
from  9  P.M.  to  3  A.M.  He  is  considering  whether  to  accept 
or  not.  —  Gabriel  has  written  several  new  sonnets.  His 
practice  with  poetry  is  first  to  write  the  thing  in  the  rough, 
and  then  to  turn  over  dictionaries  of  rhymes  and  synonyms 
so  as  to  bring  the  poem  into  the  most  perfect  form,  He 


394 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


has  done  nothing  further  with  a  view  to  re-knitting  his 
friendship  with  Sandys  ;  which  has  now  lapsed,  by  S[andys]'s 
decision,  in  consequence  of  Gabriel's  having  written  to  him 
deprecating  his  painting  (as  Howell  has  told  him  S[andys] 
was  doing)  a  Lucretia  Borgia^  of  exactly  the  same  general 
subject  as  G[abriel]'s  own.  This  G[abriel]  represented  to 
S[andys]  as  one  additional  instance  of  the  habit  he  has  of 
founding  his  subjects  and  treatment  on  G[abriel].  S[andys] 
denied  the  particular  instance  of  the  Lucretia^  and,  as  he 
describes  the  subject,  it  Q,d.\\not  be  called  a  plagiarism.  He 
also  denied  the  general  assertion ;  but  many  discerning 
people  can  see  that  he  is  wrong  there,  whether  consciously 
or  unconsciously.  .  .  . 

Saturday^  29  May. —  ...  In  the  evening  went  round  to 
Brown's,  where  were  Scott,  Gabriel,  and  Swinburne ;  who 
had  brought  round  Consul  Cameron,  the  late  Abyssinian 
captive,  whom  he  has  just  got  to  know  through  Consul 
Burton,  and  for  whom  he  seems  to  have  conceived  an 
excessive  affection.  The  Consul  is  a  man  of  large  physique, 
but  still  suffering  considerably  from  the  effects  of  his  fetters, 
etc.  ;  and  there  is  something  strange  and  inconclusive  in  his 
demeanour,  which  Brown  thought  must  arise  from  his  having 
been  drinking,  but  which  I  should  rather  be  inclined  to 
attribute  to  his  strange  experiences  and  sufferings,  long 
seclusion  from  civilized  life,  etc.  Swinburne  says  that 
Theodore  tortured  Cameron  on  one  occasion,  tying  his 
whole  frame  up  in  ropes  so  tight  that  he  could  not  only 
not  move,  but  scarcely  could  perform  any  animal  or  vital 
function  whatever :  at  last  he  fainted,  or  would  probably 
have  died.  Cameron,  who  is  an  aristocrat,  believes  there 
will  be  a  fighting  revolution  in  England  within  three  or 
four  years.  Swinburne  says  that  Mazzini  has  no  liking 
for  Bright,  on  account  of  his  non-interference  politics,  and 
especially  the  affair  of  Perish  Savoy ! "  He  again  urged 
me  much  to  restore  Laon  and  Cythna,  instead  of  The  Revolt 
of  Islam,  to  the  text  of  Shelley :  this  I  decline  to  do,  mainly 
on  the  ground  that  Shelley,  whether  willingly  or  the  reverse, 
did  himself  alter  the  poem  to  its  present  form — and  moreover 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869 


395 


I  have  considerable  doubts  whether  Payne  would  print  the 
Laon  and  C\^ythnd\  version.  Swinburne  is  engaged  on  a 
review  of  L Hornnie  qui  Rit,  and  in  doubts  how  far  he  shall 
admit  in  print  the  absurd  side  of  the  book.  I  advised  him  to 
admit  it  unreservedly,  saying  at  the  same  time  that  it  matters 
little,  the  essential  of  the  book  being  its  genius  and  imagina- 
tion. Gabriel  says  that  Carlyle  sums  up  .the  late  American 
War  by  saying  that, "  The  South  said  to  the  nigger,  God  bless 
you  and  be  a  slave — and  the  North  said,  God  damn  you  and 
be  free."  This  is  very  fine,  widely  as  one  may  dissent  from 
the  conception  it  implies.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  2  June. — Went  to  the  Water-Colour  Society. 
Hunt's  Moonlight  at  Salerno  is  excellent — also  Jones's  Circe, 
George  and  Dragon,  and  others.  .  .  . 

Friday,  4  Jime. — Poor  little  Mike  Halliday,  I  learn  from 
Gabriel,  died  the  other  day.  He  had  been  attending  the 
funeral  of  a  brother-in-law,  whose  affairs  are  left  in  a  com- 
plicated state  ;  came  home  much  depressed  ;  was  soon  seized 
with  an  inflammatory  attack  ;  and  succumbed  in  a  day  or 
two.  His  good  old  nurse  Anne,  who  has  always  been  with 
him,  and  taking  care  of  him  like  a  mother,  is  left  unprovided 
for,  it  seems  :  she  had  lent  away  her  savings  to  the  brother-in- 
law,  and  is  told  that  she  can  only  come  in  with  the  other 
creditors.  It  is  singular  that  both  Martineau  and  Halliday, 
who  set  up  house  with  Hunt  about  1856,  should  thus  have  died 
almost  suddenly  and  within  a  few  months  of  one  another. — 
Sandys  sent  the  other  day  to  pay  Gabriel  £^0  that  he  owed 
him  (though  in  fact  there  is  probably  as  much  as  another 
^50  owing),  with  a  letter  to  say  that  that  severed  the  last 
link  between  them.  Gabriel  responded  in  a  long  letter, 
full  of  right  sense  and  feeling,  to  say  that,  so  far  as  he  is 
concerned,  there  is  nothing  to  make  a  breach  between  them, 
though  at  the  same  time  he  cannot  recede  from  what  he  said 
in  the  first  instance  about  appropriation  (no  doubt  un- 
conscious) of  his  subjects  and  scheme  of  treatment  by 
Sandys.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  5  June. — Gabriel  showed  me  a  letter  he  has 
received  from  Sandys  in  reply  to  his  very  friendly  and  con- 


396 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


ciliatory  one ;  it  is  written  in  an  unhandsome  spirit,  and 
gives  the  matter  its  quietus.  He  has  paid  G[abriel]  £<^  in 
addition,  treating  it  as  the  whole  of  what  remained  due. 
Gabriel  also  showed  me  a  song  he  has  written.  Dark  Lily,^ 
and  two  Italian  sonnets.  He  says  that  Halliday's  two  Persian 
cats  lay  outside  his  death-chamber  in  a  desolate  way,  and 
couldn't  be  got  to  move  away  until  the  Doctors  arrived  to 
make  a  post-mortem  examination. 

Sunday,  6  June. — Dilberoglue,  who  called,  says  that  .  .  . 
Carlyle  has  now  for  some  while  past  suffered  from  con- 
tinual sleeplessness.  He  walks  out  nightly  from  loj  P.M.  to 
\\.  He  is  believed  to  be  engaged  in  collecting  together  some 
autobiographical  materials ;  his  niece,  now  living  with  him, 
is  a  simple-hearted  Scotch  girl  of  eighteen  or  nineteen,  proud 
of  doing  him  the  least  service.  He  smokes  birdseye  mostly, 
but  negrohead  as  a  finale,  and  goes  on  at  smoking  pretty 
well  all  the  day. 

Monday,  7  June. — Met  Millais  in  the  street :  he  looks  very 
robust  now,  spite  of  his  illness  some  few  months  ago.  He 
says  that  Munro  -f  is  dying  at  Cannes — as  indeed  I  had  heard 
before ;  and  he  is  trying  to  get  an  advantageous  sale  for 
certain  artistic  properties  which  Plalliday  has  left  behind 
— a  sketch  by  Hunt  from  the  Temple  picture  etc. 

Tuesday,  8  June. — Christina  went  off  with  the  Scotts,  to 
spend  a  month  or  more  at  Penkill.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  9. — Went  to  the  private  view  of  the  Supple- 
mentary Exhibition  (pictures  refused  by  the  R.A.).  Inch- 
bold,  contrary  to  the  intention  he  intimated  to  me,  exhibits 
— also  Brett.  On  the  whole  it  is  far  the  reverse  of  a  good 
exhibition.  As  regards  several  of  the  pictures,  the  refusal  was 
a  credit  to  the  R.A. ;  others  are  fully  good  enough  to  be 
hung,  but  without  any  very  urgent  claim  ;  those  which  ought 
positively  to  have  been  hung  are  a  very  small  minority. 
Brown  called  in  the  evening.  His  three  children  are  now 
attending  a  drawing-school  at  Bolsover  Street,  which  they 
have  all  to  themselves  on  the  days  they  go,  with  Brown  to 

So  far  as  I  recollect,  this  is  the  song  published  as  Love-Lily, 
t  Alexander  Munro  the  sculptor, 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869 


397 


look  over  their  work.  He  says  that  he  himself  has  for  some 
while  past  suffered  from  depression  of  spirits,  though  his 
health,  eyesight,  etc.,  are  strong,  and  no  sort  of  illness  sticks 
very  hard  to  him  of  late :  he  has  been  doing  remarkably 
little  in  the  way  of  painting.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  12  June. — Going  on  with  the  Memoir  of  Shelley  : 
have  now  got  to  Prometheus  and  The  CencL 

Sunday,  13  June. — Continuing  ditto.  I  find  that,  unless 
Payne  objects  to  the  length  of  the  Memoir  (which  I  have  no 
reason  to  expect),  I  shall  have  succeeded  in  saying  in  it  most 
of  what  I  particularly  want  to  say — at  any  rate  as  regards  the 
facts  of  Shelley's  life  and  his  poems.  How  much  I  shall  be 
able  to  put-in  of  opinion  and  characteristic  anecdote  I  as  yet 
can't  determine.  This  state  of  things  renders  me  less  anxious 
than  before  (though  by  no  means  undesirous)  to  write  after- 
wards a  full  Life,  such  as  was  vaguely  proposed  to  be  done 
between  Garnett  and  myself  I  think,  if  the  opportunity  offers, 
I  would  now  prefer  to  collect  (as  pointed  at  in  my  Memoir) 
all  Shelley's  own  letters,  and  other  autobiographic  details 
whether  in  poetry  or  prose,  and  print  them  in  proper 
sequence,  with  the  slightest  possible  connecting  thread  of 
matters  of  fact*  If  I  did  this,  and  published  the  collection 
with  my  Memoir  reprinted  as  introduction,  I  should  regard  it 
as  a  not  unsatisfactory  compendium  of  Shelley's  life. 

Monday,  14  June. — Theodoric  and  his  Wife  arrived  from 
Florence  and  Paris.  .  .  .  Nolly  Brown  brought  round  a  photo- 
graph from  his  water-colour  of  a  man  riding  a  horse  into  the 
sea  t — which  looks  quite  fine  in  the  photograph,  and  must,  at 
any  rate,  be  decidedly  good.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  17  June. — Theodoric  tells  me  that  Guasti,  the 
Sub-Librarian  at  the  Magliabecchian  Library,  has  lately  dis- 
covered documents  proving  that  Dante  was  a  "  bad  character  " 
— leaving  his  debts  unpaid  etc. ;  indeed,  the  suggestion  is  that 
this,  and  not  a  political  motive,  was  the  veritable  cause  of  his 

After  an  interval,  I  set  to  at  this  work,  and  carried  it  to  completion. 
Difficulties  arose  as  to  copyright  etc.,  and  my  compilation  remains  un- 
published. 

t  This  water-colour  was  entitled  Obstinacy. 


398 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


banishment,  but  that  I  can't  believe.  The  national  rever- 
ence for  Dante  induces  the  authorities  to  keep  this  matter 
close.*  .  .  . 

Friday,  i8  June. —  .  .  .  Cayley  tells  me  that  the  salary 
offered  him  by  The  Daily  Telegraph  for  translating  foreign 
telegrams  was  ;^I50  with  contingent  increase;  but,  since  he 
went  to  the  office,  he  has  heard  no  more  about  it,  and  the 
question  remains  unsettled.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  22  June. — Going  on  with  Shelley  Memoir.  Tre- 
lawny  writes  me  that  he  is  back  in  town,  and  willing  to  see 
me  ;  and  I  think  I  shall  offer  him  the  dedication,  .  .  . 

Friday,  25  June. — Finished  the  Memoir  of  Shelley,  which 
now  only  needs  a  final  revision.  .  .  . 

Monday,  28  June. — Called  on  Trelawny,  a-propos  of 
Shelley.-I*  He  is  still  a  very  fine  vigorous  old  man,  most  ener- 
getic in  tone  and  manner  at  moments.  Stayed  with  him 
full  four  hours,  and  had  a  highly  interesting  conversation  on 
Shelley,  whom  he  regards  with  the  same  undimmed  enthusiasm 
as  ever — branching  off  somewhat  too  frequently  to  other 
subjects,  such  as  America,  medical  systems,  etc.  He  retains 
his  ancient  habit  %  of  going  stockingless.  He  gave  me  a 
number  of  interesting  details  about  Shelley,  and  confided  to 
me  the  original  MSS.  of  the  poems  to  Mrs  Williams,  with  the 
scraps  of  message  which  accompanied  them — most  valuable. 
The  bulk  of  what  he  said  will  be  incorporated  in  my  Memoir. 
He  did  not  greatly  like  Mrs  Shelley,  thinking  her  too  eager 
to  stand  well  with  society,  and,  as  regards  Shelley,  too  fractious 
and  plaguy — also  she  had  none  of  the  habits  of  a  housewife, 
and  dinner  etc.  had  very  much  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
T[relawny]  possesses  and  showed  me  a  pen-and-ink  sketch  of 
Shelley,  head  and  shoulders,  which  he  considers  gives  a 

*  I  cannot  remember  having  ever  heard  any  more  about  this  serious 
matter. 

t  A  considerable  majority  of  what  my  Diary  contains  about  Trelawny 
was  published  in  The  Athenaiwi  in  1882,  under  the  title  Talks  with 
Trelawny.  Some  few  details  were  there  omitted,  and  I  think  it  as  well 
to  re-extract  here  from  the  Diary. 

%  I  became  aware  of  this  habit  in  1843,  when  Trelawny,  on  behalf  of 
Mr  Temple  Leader,  called  once  or  twice  to  see  my  Father. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTi— DIARY,  1869  390 


goodish  idea  of  him  :  he  cannot  now  recollect  whether  or  not 
it  is  by  Williams  or  by  whom  else.  It  looks  in  a  general  way 
like  a  copy  from  Miss  Curran's  portrait,  or  some  engraving 
after  that :  but  a  strict  comparison  of  the  two  does  not  by  any 
means  satisfy  me  that  it  is  such.  He  has  also  oil-portraits  of 
Mrs  Shelley  and  Miss  Clairmont  by  Miss  Curran  *  not  bad. 
He  says  Miss  Clairmont  became  a  somewhat  bigoted  Roman 
Catholic,  went  mad  at  last,  and  has  been — perhaps  now  is — in 
an  asylum.-f  Shelley's  heart  was  delivered  to  Mrs  S[helley] ; 
but  she  used  to  say  it  was  "  too  painful,"  etc.  etc.,  and  the 
heart  was  then  transferred  to  Leigh  Hunt.  T[relawny]  pre- 
sumes it  may  now  be  in  the  possession  of  Thornton  H[unt]. 
T[relawny]  picked  out  of  the  pyre,  he  says,  a  bit  of  Shelley's 
kidney  (?)  and  showed  it  to  Vacca,  who  expressed  an  opinion 
that  the  disease  Shelley  had  suffered  from  was  not  nephritic. 
T[relawny]  dislikes  Sir  Percy  Shelley,  and  more  particularly 
Lady  S[helley],  who  he  says  is  thinking  of  bringing  out  a 
"  modernized "  (query  in  what  sense)  version  of  S[helley]'s 
poems — certainly  a  most  base  idea,  if  in  reality  entertained. 
He  says  the  SlJielley^  Memorials  are  not  really  done  by  Lady 
S[helley],  but  by  a  Mr  Touchett.  Trelawny  accepts  the  dedi- 
cation of  my  edition  of  Shelley ;  he  is  against  a  large  size  of 
book  for  poetry,  advocating  such  volumes  only  as  can  go 
into  the  pocket.  He  dislikes  Shelley's  maiden  Sisters,  but 
likes  Mrs  Haynes  :  %  thinks  Mrs  Hogg  would  not  be  communi- 
cative about  S[helley].  He  declined  to  communicate  his 
S[helley]  materials  to  Lady  S[helley]  or  to  Garnett — because, 
he  says,  the  letter  addressed  to  him  inviting  such  communica- 
tion took  it  for  granted  that  he  would  be  only  too  glad  to 
make  himself  useful.  I  may  therefore  esteem  myself  lucky 
that  nothing  has  been  done  on  my  part  to  set  his  bristles  up. 

*  These  two  portraits  I  understood  to  be  in  strictness  the  property  of 
the  Shelley  family — to  whom  they  must  have  been  returned  after  Tre- 
lawny's  death. 

t  I  cannot  say  what  amount  of  foundation  there  may  have  been  for 
this  statement.  In  1873  1  saw  Miss  Clairmont,  who  presented  every 
appearance  of  entire  sanity. 

%  Also  a  Sister  of  Shelley. 


400 


KOSSETTI  PAPERS 


Tuesday^  29  June. —  .  .  .  Wrote  Garnett,  sending  him 
Swinburne's  letter  conveying  what  Browning  says  about 
Harriet  [Shelley].  .  .  . 

Thursday,  i  July. — Looked-up  a  few  old  magazine-articles 
on  Shelley  in  the  British  Museum.  Those  in  The  Literary 
Gazette  are  beyond  anything  for  abuse. 

Friday^  2  July. — Lent  my  Shelley  Memoir  to  Garnett  for 
inspection.  .  .  .  He  handed  me  the  transcripts  he  has  made 
from  hitherto  unprinted  portions  of  Marenghi  and  the  Un- 
Jinished  Drama,  and  from  Virgil's  Gallus.  I  in  the  evening 
put  these  into  their  places  in  the  text,  revised  the  index,  and 
I  believe  there  is  now  no  more  to  be  done  to  text  or  notes. 

Saturday^  3  July. —  .  .  .  Trelawny  came  in,  and  spent  the 
whole  evening  talking  with  me  :  I  introduced  Garnett  (then 
dining  with  me)  to  him  ;  also  Gabriel,  who  looked  in  late. 
I  was  rather  nervous  as  to  the  reception  which  Trel[awny], 
who  is  hostile  to  Lady  Shelley  and  all  her  surroundings, 
might  accord  to  Garnett ;  but  luckily  he  received  him  well, 
and,  after  his  departure,  expressed  a  good  impression  of 
him.  Trel[awny]  had  not  an  unpleasant  impression  of 
Shelley's  voice,  save  when  he  was  excited,  and  then  it  turned 
shrieky :  as  on  one  occasion  when  Shelley  came  in  much 
perturbed  from  an  interview  with  Byron,  and  screeched  "  By 
God!  he's  no  better  than  a  Christian."  Trel[awny]  saw 
something  of  Japan  in  his  youth,  and  was  much  taken  with 
my  series  of  Japanese  prints  round  the  dining-room.  He 
must  be  75  (or  I  think  76)  years  of  age,*  but  thinks  nothing 
of  sitting  up  till  midnight,  and  walking  home,  perhaps  \\ 
miles,  from  my  neighbourhood.  When  he  left  me,  about 
II,  he  was  going  round  to  Digby  Wyatt's  in  Tavistock 
Place.  I  returned  him  the  Shelley  MS.  and  Sivellfoot.  He 
says  he  will  write  down  all  residual  reminiscences  of  Shelley, 
Byron,  etc.,  to  be  published  after  his  death.  Garnett  says 
Tr[elawny]  is  mistaken  in  supposing  Touchett  the  principal 
writer  of  the  Shelley  Memorials :  it  was  not  Touchett,  nor 
yet  Lady  Shelley. 

Trelawny  was,  in  fact,  born  in  November  1792  ;  therefore  in 
July  1869  he  was  getting  on  towards  77  years  of  age. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869 


401 


Sunday^  4  July. — Browning  called  to  talk  over  the  Harriet 
Shelley  affair.  Swinburne  had  mistaken  him  in  supposing 
that  he  had  seen  the  documents  named  in  Forster's  Life  of 
Landor.  He  is  now  not  on  comfortable  terms  with  F[orster], 
and  has  seen  nothing  of  those  documents.  What  he  has 
seen  is  a  set  of  letters  from  Harriet,  then  in  the  hands  of 
Hookham  the  publisher,  and  some  or  all  addressed  to  him  : 
these  were  placed  in  Browning's  hands  at  the  time  he  was 
editing  the  forged  letters.  He  quite  confirms  the  drift  of  the 
correspondence  as  stated  by  Swinburne ;  authorizes  me  to 
use  the  information,  but  would  not  wish  his  name  mentioned. 
I  modified  this  section  of  my  Memoir  accordingly.  Browning 
talked  about  an  article  in  the  Temple  Bar,  saying  that  he,  as 
shown  in  the  Ring  and  Book,  is  an  analyst,  not  creator,  of 
character.  This,  B[rowning]  very  truly  says,  is  not  appli- 
cable ;  because  he  has  had  to  create,  out  of  the  mass  of 
almost  equally  balanced  evidence,  the  characters  of  the  book 
as  he  conceives  them,  and  it  is  only  after  that  process  that 
the  analysing  method  can  come  into  play.  I  see  he  dislikes 
Trelawny  quite  as  much  as  T[relawny]  dislikes  him  (which  is 
not  a  little).  He  told  me  a  story  of  T[relawny]'s  having 
eloped  with  a  .  .  .  lady,  .  .  .  and,  on  being  pursued  by  the 
Father,  having  told  him  that  he  had  no  objection  to  marrying 
her,  but  he  had  already  five  or  six  wives  in  various  parts  of 
the  world.  B[rowning]  knows  all  about  Byron's  divorce ; 
partly  from  Mrs  Jameson,  who  was  intimate  with  Lady 
Byron.  He  says  the  circumstances  are  very  disgraceful  to 
Byron ;  but  (though  he  did  not  specify  the  particulars)  it 
is  quite  clear  the  principal  cause  of  separation,  as  understood 
by  Br[owning],  is  not  that  .  .  .  which  S.  mentioned  to 
me  long  ago  as  almost  for  certain  known.  .  .  .  Basil 
Montagu  is  the  lawyer  whom,  as  Br[owning]  tells  me, 
Shelley  consulted  with  a  view  to  getting  Harriet  to  live  with 
Mary  and  himself.  I  have  named  the  fact  in  my  Memoir, 
but  not  the  personage. 

Monday,  5  July. —  .  .  .  Left  Shelley  at  Moxon's.  In  the 
evening  made  out  a  list  of  books  in  my  hands  whence  I  can 
make-up  the  notices  (for  the  series  of  British  Poets)  of  Byron, 

2  C 


402 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Scott,  Moore,  Wordsworth,  and  Longfellow  ;  also  the  books 
whence  I  could  compile  volumes  of  Ballads,  Songs,  and  Mis- 
cellaneous Poetry.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  8  July. — Went  to  a  party  at  Brown's.  .  .  .  Brown 
showed  me  crayon-portraits  he  has  done  of  his  Wife  (the  best 
from  her),  Miss  Spartali  (not  beautiful  nor  a  characteristic 
likeness,  and  rather  dowdy-looking,  yet  interesting),  and  a 
wood-design  for  Byron's  Sardanapalus,  very  good.  Morris 
did  738  lines  of  poetry — a  Scandinavian  story — in  one  day  : 
it  tired  him  much,  and  next  day  or  afterwards  he  re-wrote  a 
large  proportion  of  it.  This  is  an  astonishing  feat.  Swin- 
burne introduced  me  to  Mathilde  Blind,  who  is  a  wild  Shelley 
enthusiast.  She  has  seen  the  Sh[elley]  relics  in  the  possession 
of  Miss  Rumble  :  .  .  .  they  comprise  copies  of  the  poems  to 
Mrs  Williams,  and  letters  from  Emilia  Viviani  to  Sh[elley], 
whom  she  addresses  as  sposo  adoratoT  She  will  make  an 
effort  to  get  hold  of  these  writings,  and  show  them  me  :  but  I 
doubt  her  success.  Mr  Freckelton,  who  has  seen  them  in 
Miss  Rumble's  hands,  and  says  they  are  unimportant,  is  a 
Unitarian  Minister.  Reveley's  *  seeming  indifference  to 
Shelley  matters  is  more  at  the  dictation  of  his  Wife  than  any- 
thing else  :  the  latter  affirms  that  Shelley  owed  Reveley  £\ooo, 
which  seems  most  unlikely.  Mason  tells  me  he  once  did  a 
view  of  the  Roman  Cemetery,  with  Keats's  tomb  —  not 
Shelley's.  Miss  Blind  says  that  Ledru  Rollin  is  very  hostile 
to  Victor  Hugo,  and  laughs  at  his  writings.  Mazzini  is 
now  in  England.  Also  that  Mrs  Shelley  opposed  a  wish 
of  her  son  to  marry  a  daughter  of  Williams,  saying  she 
was  not  a  suitable  match  in  point  of  station.  Trelawny 
had  told  me  the  other  day  that  a  daughter  of  Williams 
(query  the  same?)  married  one  of  Leigh  Hunt's  sons.  He 
disliked  the  whole  Hunt  family — thought  Hunt  exceedingly 
selfish.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  1 1  July. —  .  .  .  Began  (with  Nightingale  Valley)  f 

*  /.(?.,  the  Henry  Reveley,  then  a  young  engineer,  addressed  by  Shelley 
in  some  letters.  He  was  more  or  less  connected  with  the  Shelley  docu- 
ments held  by  Miss  Rumble. 

t  The  poetic  selection  compiled  by  WiUiam  Allingham. 


I 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869 


403 


reading  up  for  a  volume  of  Selected  Poems.*  I  have  for  years 
and  years  had  a  hobby  in  favour  of  doing  such  a  volume  of 
'^Perfect  Poems" — compositions  such  as  I  believe  to  be  not 
only  admirable  but  flawless.  This  will  probably  not  fall  in  with 
Moxon's  plan  :  but,  in  collecting  my  materials  for  his  Selection, 
I  shall  keep  the  distinction  in  sight  for  my  own  satisfaction.  I 
would  not  admit  among  Perfect  Poems  anything  that  did  not 
unite  these  qualifications — i,  lofty  general  calibre;  2,  freedom 
from  anything  which  can  be  distinctly  marked  as  a  fault — 
mere  notions  or  prepossessions  of  my  own  not  being  allowed 
to  weigh  in  assessing  faults.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  13  Jtdy. — Mrs  Gilchrist  writes  me  another 
(3rd)  incredibly  enthusiastic  letter  about  Whitman,  whose 
complete  poems  she  has  now  been  reading.  This  is  a 
wonderful  phenomenon  to  me,  and  so  curious  that  I  have 
felt  justified  in  sending  to  O'Connor  (W[hitman]'s  friend  in 
Washington)  an  extract  from  Mrs  G[ilchrist]'s  three  letters, 
but  without  giving  any  clue  to  her  identity.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  18  July. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  has  begun  his  three- 
quarter  picture  of  Pandora;  but  wants  to  carry  out  the 
same  subject  whole-length.  He  has  done  a  crayon  half- 
figure  of  Penelope — one  of  an  indefinite  number  of  crayon- 
figures  which  Agnew  has  commissioned  him  for  at  ^80  apiece. 
G[abriel]  and  I  went  to  the  Prinseps' — first  time  I  have  been 
there  an  unconscionable  while.  Watts's  Endymion,  Daphne, 
Millais,  Clytie  (same  composition  in  painting  as  the  bust, 
perhaps  his  most  vigorous  piece  of  flesh-painting),  new 
picture  from  the  Greek  head  at  Oxford,  very  lovely — etc.  .  .  . 

Monday,  19  Jidy. — As  Mrs  Gilchrist,  at  my  prompting, 
thinks  of  turning  to  some  public  account  the  letters  she  has 
been  writing  me  about  Whitman,  I  returned  them  to  her, 
telling  her  at  the  same  time  that  I  had  already  sent  extracts 
to  O'Connor  for  Whitman  to  see.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  21  July. — Met  Brown,  who  tells  me  Morris 
and  his  Wife,  who  are  going  to  Ems  for  the  health  of  the 

*  Messrs  Moxon  did  not  eventually  publish  any  such  volume  of  Mis- 
cellaneous Poems  selected  by  me — only  a  Selection  of  Humorous  Poems^ 
and  another  of  A?nerka?i  Poems, 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


latter,  along  with  her  Sister  and  Lucy  Brown  (both  of  whom 
will  return  after  reaching  Cologne  or  Coblentz),  started  the 
other  day,  and  had  arrived  at  Calais.  They  had  to  change 
into  a  small  steamer  to  cross  the  bar,  which  knocked  up  Mrs 
Morris  a  good  deal.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  22  July. — J.  Deffett  Francis  calls  on  me,  and 
produces  a  copy  of  a  very  valuable  early  letter  of  Shelley — 
which  copy  he  made  from  one  of  several  originals  in  the 
possession  of  Mr  J.  H.  Slack.  I  wrote  to  Mr  S[lack],  asking 
whether  he  would  permit  me  to  call  and  see  the  letters. 
Also  made  a  copy  for  myself  from  Francis's  copy  (which  I 
returned  to  him  in  the  evening) :  but  shall  of  course  be 
unable,  unless  Mr  Slack  allows  me,  to  use  the  information, 
unless  merely  for  rectifying  negatively  any  mis-statement 
made  in  my  Memoir.  .  .  . 

Friday,  23  July. — Christina  returned  from  Penkill. — Wrote 
in  reply  to  another  letter  from  Mrs  Gilchrist,  saying  that  the 
only  things  I  think  she  would  be  quite  safe  in  doing  in  con- 
nexion with  Whitman  would  be — i,  to  consider  any  proposal 
that  may  hereafter  come  from  W[hitman]  or  O'Connor  for 
American  publication  of  the  extracts  I  have  sent  the  latter 
from  her  letters,  without  her  name  ;  and  2,  to  write  for  English 
publication  a  notice  of  the  Selection  alone. 

Saturday,  24  July. —  Tinslefs  Magazine  iox  S-o-^d^y  contains 
a  first  article  on  TJie  Rossettis — mainly  Christina :  it  is  evi- 
dently written  by  some  one  who  knows  something  about  us, 
but  who  I  have  not  the  least  idea.*  .  .  . 

Monday,  26  July. — Mr  Slack  having  sanctioned  my  calling 
this  evening,  I  went  round,  and  met  with  much  open  good- 
nature from  himself  and  his  Wife.  He  possesses  a  series  of 
letters  between  Shelley  and  Miss  Hitchener  (the  "Brown 
Demon "),  of  great  importance  and  curiosity  for  that  early 
part  of  Shelley's  life,  1811-12.  The  letters  used  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  Miss  H[itchener] — those  emanating  from  herself 
being  presumably  copies  of  what  she  dispatched  to  S[helley] : 
then  a  Mrs  Hoist  had  them  :  the  present  actual  or  presumable 
owner  is  a  Mrs  Buxton.  The  correspondence  has  been  left 
*  Mr  Harry  Buxton  Forman. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI- DIARY,  1869  405 


for  many  years  undisturbed  in  Mr  Slack's  hands ;  and  he  is 
not  inclined,  by  starting  any  question  as  to  publication  of  any 
part  of  the  letters,  to  raise  the  possible  question  of  their  being 
altogether  transferred  from  his  hands  to  Mrs  Buxton's. 
There  were  more  than  forty  letters  from  Shelley  himself,  and 
perhaps  some  dozen  of  Miss  Kitchener's  ;  but,  in  some  way 
that  Mr  Slack  can't  account  for,  several  of  Shelley's  are  not 
immediately  forthcoming — perhaps  a  full  third  or  more  of  the 
total.  S[helley]'s  letters  are  mostly  quite  long,  somewhat 
better  written  than  most  of  the  early  ones  printed  by  Hogg, 
but  full  of  unmeaning  effusivenesses  for  the  Brown  Demon. 
Slack  does  not  feel  at  liberty  to  sanction  my  saying  anything 
distinct  about  the  important  point  which  appears  in  several  of 
the -letters  besides  the  one  copied  by  Francis — viz.:  that, 
according  to  Harriet's  statement  to  Shelley,  Hogg,  during 
S[helley]'s  absence  on  business  in  Sussex  while  Harriet  and 
Hogg  remained  behind  at  York  in  i8ii,had  tried  to  seduce 
Harriet ;  which  Hogg  confessed  with  some  show  of  contrition, 
and  S[helley],  though  very  much  taken  aback,  was  ready  to 
pardon,  but  eventually  Hogg  assumed  a  hectoring  tone,  and 
talked  about  fighting  a  duel :  this  S[helley]  declined  on 
principle.  Mr  Slack  however  does  not  object  to  my  making 
free  use  of  many  other  points  stated  in  the  letters — only 
without  direct  quotation  or  specification  of  them.  I  was 
engaged  the  whole  evening  reading  these  letters  aloud,  and 
only  got  through  perhaps  a  half  of  them  :  am  to  resume  on 
Wednesday. 

Tuesday,  27  July. — Inserted  in  the  Shelley  Memoir  such 
particulars,  gleaned  from  the  above-named  letters,  as  I  am 
empowered  to  use. 

Wednesday,  28  Jtdy. — Went  again  to  Mr  Slack's,  and 
finished  reading  the  Shelley  letters.  .  .  . 

Friday,  30  July. — Am  promoted  to-day  to  be  Assistant 
Secretary,  Excise  Branch.  Bought  a  lot  of  Venetian  and  art 
photographs  and  a  sunfish.*  .  .  . 

*  My  Brother  had  preceded  me  in  buying  a  stuffed  sunfish,  which  he 
eventually  got  gilded,  and  hung  up  in  his  drawing-room.  I  have  done 
much  the  same. 


kOSSETTI  PAPERS 


Wednesday,  4  August. — Wrote  to  Mr  Slack,  asking 
whether  I  might  copy  out,  and  insert  in  the  Appendix  of 
the  new  Shelley,  the  three  early  poems  included  in  the 
correspondence  he  possesses. — Gabriel  is  having  his  various 
poems — such  as  he  values  sufficiently — printed,  for  future  use 
in  any  way  he  may  like.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  19  August. — The  first  proof  of  the  annotated 
Shelley  reached  me  to-day.  It  looks  as  if  it  were  to  be  in 
two  volumes,  of  compact  and  substantial  aspect.  .  .  . 

Wednesday^  25  August. — A  Mr  Keningale  Cook,*  with  a 
letter  of  introduction  from  Dr  Steele,f  called,  asking  my 
advice  as  to  who  should  publish  a  volume  of  poems  he  has 
ready.  I  told  him  I  could  better  form  an  opinion  if  I  first 
saw  the  poems,  which  he  is  to  leave  with  me  shortly.  He 
is  a  prepossessing  young  man,  and  evidently  a  man  of 
intelligence.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  31  August. —  .  .  .  Brown  has  heard  it  rumoured 
— in  reference  to  the  great  scandal  now  turned  up  regarding 
Byron — that  Mrs  Leigh  was  probably  not  in  reality  any 
blood-relation  to  Byron  at  all,  but  a  daughter  of  the  first  Wife 
of  Byron's  Father  (divorced  Lady  Carmarthen)  by  some  man 
other  than  Byron's  Father.  This,  if  sustainable,  would  give 
the  case  a  somewhat  different  complexion. 

Wednesday^  i  September. — Tebbs  called,  and  began  talking 
about  the  volume  of  MS.  poems  by  Gabriel  which  he  sup- 
pressed at  the  time  of  Lizzie's  death,  and  buried  in  her 
coffin.  He  says  that  the  coffin  could  not  be  opened  without 
a  "  faculty  "  ;  but  that  he  could  without  any  difficulty  obtain 
this  for  G[abriel],  should  the  latter  wish  at  any  time  to  recover 
the  poems.  I  said  that  I  would  bear  the  point  in  mind,  and 
let  G[abriel]  know  of  this  in  case  the  question  should  ever  be 
in  the  way  of  arising.  .  .  . 

Tuesday^  18  September. — Gabriel  having  announced,  by 
letter  received  yesterday,  that  he  had  bought  a  tame  wombat 
now  at  Chelsea,  I  went  round  to  see  said  beast,  which  is  the 
most  lumpish  and  incapable  of  wombats,  with  an  air  of  baby 

*  This  gentleman  died,  to  my  great  regret,  towards  1886. 

t  Brother  of  the  Wife  of  my  Cousin  Teodorico  Pietrocola-Rossetti. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  407 


objectlessness — not  much  more  than  half  grown,  probably. 
He  is  much  addicted  to  following  one  about  the  room,  and 
nestling  up  against  one,  and  nibbling  one's  calves  or  trowsers. 
His  price  was  ;  the  vendor  (Jamrach)  saying  that  he 
could  readily  dispose  of  the  wombat  elsewhere  if  Gabriel  was 
not  willing  to  pay  the  sum.  .  .  .  G[abriel]'s  pictures  of  Lilith 
and  Venus  are  now  sent  off  to  their  owners  (Leyland  and 
Mitchell) :  Sibylla  Palinifera  has  been  a  good  deal  worked 
on  of  late,  and  there  are  some  fresh  crayon-drawings  of  Mrs 
Morris,  and  a  girl  who  sat  as  playing  a  lute.  Dunn  says 
that  young  Murray  *  has  now  started  as  an  artist  on  his  own 
account ;  and  that  Howell  has  been  seeing  to  the  furnishing 
of  a  new  house  for  Ruskin,  who  wants  it  the  more  particularly 
for  proper  display  of  works  of  art  now  that  he  is  appointed 
Slade  Professor  of  Fine  Arts  in  Oxford.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  19  September. — Swinburne  called — lately  back 
from  Vichy,  where  he  was  staying  with  Consul  Burton. 
Vpctor]  Hugo  received  very  graciously  the  article  which 
Swinburne  wrote  upon  U Homme  qui  Rit,  and  has  expressed 
a  very  high  opinion  of  the  French  lyrics  scattered  among 
S[winburne]'s  poems.  S[winburne]  objects  much  to  Gabriel's 
continual  revising  of  his  old  poems,  and  thinks  indeed  that 
G[abriel]'s  whole  system  of  verse-writing  is  becoming  now 
somewhat  over-elaborate.  He  expects  to  go  to  Holmwood 
to-morrow.  His  beautiful  Angora  cat,  given  him  by  Mazzini 
— white  with  a  tabby  tail — died  lately.  It  used  to  sit  on 
his  head  while  he  was  writing.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  21  September. — Wallis,f  whom  I  met  in  the 
street,  and  who  is  now  living  at  lOA  Adelphi  Terrace,  tells 
me  that  he  possesses  a  lock  of  Shelley's  hair. — Gabriel 
returned  to  Chelsea  yesterday,  and  I  saw  him  this  evening. 
He  looks  to  me  well  enough  ;  but  says  he  has  been  very 
weak,  perspiring  excessively,  losing  sleep,  and  that  his  health 
is  breaking  up.    He  has  done  a  good  deal  of  poetry — ballads 

Mr  Charles  Fairfax  Murray.  It  was  through  Ruskin,  and  Howell 
as  Ruskin's  secretary,  that  he  came  into  our  circle. 

t  Mr  Henry  Wallis  the  Painter.  He  had  been  well  acquainted  with 
T.  L.  Peacock. 


408 


IlOSSETTi  PAPERS 


of  Helen  and  of  Lilith,*  both  very  fine  (the  latter  not  yet 
finished),  sonnets,  etc.  He  seems  more  anxious  just  now  to 
achieve  something  permanent  in  poetry  than  in  painting — in 
which  he  considers  that  at  any  rate  two  living  Englishmen, 
Millais  and  Jones,  show  a  higher  innate  executive  power  than 
himself  .  .  .  Ruskin  called  on  Gabriel  yesterday,  and  raised 
some  question  as  to  Gabriel's  joining  him  in  efforts  for  social 
ameliorations  on  a  systematic  scale — which  G[abriel]  is  not 
much  minded  to.  R[uskin]  expressed  himself  gratified  with 
the  article  of  mine  on  him  published  some  months  ago  in  The 
Broadway.  .  .  . 

Monday,  27  September. — Gabriel  called  in  Euston  Square  ; 
read  us  his  poem  of  Lilith,  just  completed,  and  some  others. 
Swinburne  writes  proposing  to  turn  my  Mrs  Holmes  Grey 
into  Frenchjf  which  would  indeed  be  a  distinguished  honour 
to  me.  The  wombat  shows  symptoms  of  some  malady  of  the 
mange-kind,  and  is  attended  by  a  dog-doctor.  Hearing 
(from  a  Mr  Doeg  of  Manchester)  that  the  series  of  photo- 
graphs kept  at  the  Arundel  Society  from  the  portraits 
exhibited  at  South  Kensington  includes  the  Shelley  portrait 
by  Miss  Curran,  I  went  round  there,  and  ordered  three  copies 
of  this  photo,  and  single  copies  of  various  others.  Miss 
Curran's  portrait  comes  very  fair  indeed  in  the  photograph, 
and  would  indeed  be  worth  re-engraving  therefrom  for  the 
forthcoming  edition  of  the  poems. 

Tuesday,  28  September. — Saw  the  wombat  again  at 
Chelsea  :  I  much  fear  he  shows  already  decided  symptoms 
of  the  loss  of  sight  which  afflicts  so  many  wombats.  Gabriel 
writes  and  works  at  his  poems  a  good  deal,  and  has  not  yet 
resumed  painting.  He  seems  not  by  any  means  indisposed 
to  publish  the  poems  soon  with  Ellis,  whose  printer  is  doing 
the  printing-work.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  29  September. — Mrs  Gilchrist  sends  me  the 
MS.  of  what  she  has  written  concerning  Whitman,  embody- 
ing and  expanding  the  observations  in  her  letters  to  me  :  it 

*  The  ballads  published  under  the  titles  Troy  Town  and  Eden 
Bower. 

t  This  was  never  done,  I  think. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETtI— DIARY,  409 


will  be  valuable  for  the  cause — its  disposal  remains  to  be 
determined  on.  .  ,  . 

Thursday,  30  September. — Engaged  on  proofs  of  Shelley 
(now  at  Prometheus  Unbound)  and  of  Scott's  book  on 
Durer. 

Friday,  I  October. — Replied  to  Swinburne's  letter,  ex- 
pressing my  high  sense  of  the  honour  he  would  do  Mrs 
Holmes  Grey  by  translating  it  into  French,  should  it  suit 
him  to  do  so.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  3  October. — Finished  the  biographical  notice  of 
Moore,  and  wrote  to  Payne  about  this  and  Shelley.  I  said 
I  should  probably  wish  to  say,  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
series  of  Poets,  a  few  words  as  to  my  own  part  in  that  series. 
Without  this,  I  might  be  held  accountable  for  the  complete- 
ness and  accuracy  of  the  editions  in  a  degree  which  neither 
does  nor  under  the  circumstances  can  properly  pertain  to  me. 
With  this  Moore  notice  I  finish  up  the  succession  of  pressing 
work  which  began  on  18  November  last  with  the  revision 
of  Shelley,  and  has  had  no  definite  intermission  since  then, 
save  my  holiday  abroad.  The  Shelley  proofs  continue  to 
engage  my  attention,  and  a  good  deal  of  less  pressing  work 
remains  on  hand.  .  .  . 

Monday,^  October. —  ...  I  am  now  reading  up  the  books 
concerning  Shelley  {Hogg's  Life  for  the  while)  in  order  to 
note  down  all  the  autobiographical  materials — letters  etc. — 
for  his  life.  If  Payne  should  not  be  disposed  to  publish  these 
(as  I  suggested  to  him  a  couple  of  months  or  so  ago)  along 
with  my  Memoir  republished,  I  may  perhaps  be  disposed  to 
incur  the  expense  of  having  the  thing  printed  for  my  own 
private  satisfaction  ;  i.e.,  print,  in  form  similar  to  my  Memoir, 
all  the  letters  and  autobiographical  passages  written  by 
Shelley,  as  far  as  attainable.  The  Shelley  Poems  are  now 
advertised  by  Moxon  as  forthcoming,  giving  more  than  due 
prominence  to  my  Memoir.  The  advertisement  is  badly  put 
together  all  through  ;  and,  having  occasion  to  write  to  Moxon 
in  the  evening,  I  proposed  a  different  form  of  advertise- 
ment. .  .  . 

Wednesday,  6  October. — Discussed  with  Uncle  Henry  some 


410 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


of  the  points  concerning  my  proposed  will,  outstanding  since 
I  went  abroad  in  the  Spring.  Maria  declined  to  receive  the 
reversion  of  the  lease  of  the  house,  on  the  ground  that  she 
might  probably,  by  the  time  that  contingency  occurs,  have 
entered  a  Sisterhood.  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  heard 
her  express  such  an  intention :  but  I  have  long  foreseen  it  as 
probable.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  7  October. — Nettleship  and  others  dining  at 
Chelsea.  Gabriel  read  several  of  his  poems,  and  expresses 
a  distinct  intention  of  soon  publishing.  Hake  (Dr),  the 
author  of  Vates,  called  on  him  lately :  he  also  published 
anonymously  a  year  or  two  ago  a  volume  of  poems,  The 
World's  Epitaph,  which  I  rather  think  was  sent  me  at  the 
time,  and  struck  me  as  having  a  certain  superiority.  G[abriel] 
thinks  him  a  very  capable  man,  not  at  all  of  the  self-assertive 
kind. 

Friday,  8  October. — Christina  having  consulted  Dr  Jenner 
to-day  about  a  slight  discoloration  round  the  eye,  he  tells 
her  that  her  chest  is  now  very  conspicuously  better  than  it 
used  to  be ;  that  the  case  had  been  somewhat  precarious ; 
and  that,  though  now  so  much  better,  she  should  not  relax 
in  her  precautions.  .  .  . 

Monday,  11  October. — Garnett  returned  me  my  MS. 
Memoir  of  Shelley,  notifying  a  few  useful  emendations,  but 
speaking  of  it  as  very  correct  in  the  main,  which  is  gratifying. 
Made  the  needful  revisions,  and  prepared  the  MS.  to  be 
handed  in  to-morrow  to  Moxon,  for  immediate  transmission 
to  the  printers,  Sanson  &  Co.,  in  Edinburgh.  Resumed  the 
collection  of  materials  for  the  volumes  of  Miscellaneous  or 
Selected  Poems  which  are  set  down  for  forming  a  part  of 
Moxon's  cheap  series.  I  see  by  his  prospectus  there  would 
be  six  such  volumes  covering  a  wide  range  of  selection.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  13  October. — Swinburne  wrote  me  the  other 
day  proposing  that  he  and  I  jointly  should  give-in  our 
adhesion  by  letter  to  the  Congress  of  Freethinkers  got  up  by 
Ricciardi  (projected  as  a  counterbalance  to  the  CEcumenical 
Council).  I  very  gladly  assent,  and  wrote  this  evening  a  draft- 
letter,  which  I  post  to  Swinburne  at  Holmwood. — Scott  in- 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  411 


forms  me  that  the  uncoffining  of  Gabriel's  MS.  poems  has  now- 
been  effected. 

Friday,  1 5  October. — Dario  Rossi  (the  Genoese  pubHsher 
to  whom  I  confided  in  1861  a  selection  of  my  Father's  poems 
made  by  myself,  and  who  has  ever  since  let  the  thing  sleep, 
and  behaved  very  objectionably  about  it  till  I  had  been  fain 
to  give  the  whole  affair  up)  writes  at  last,  proposing  to  see 
now  to  early  publication,  on  certain  modified  terms.  The 
decision  on  this  point  belongs  strictly  to  Mamma.  .  .  . 

Monday,  18  October. — Called  on  Mrs  Gilchrist.  She 
authorizes  me  to  send  to  America  what  she  has  written  on 
W[hitman],  to  be  published  in  such  form  as  he  or  0'C[onnor] 
may  approve,  but  without  any  public  or  private  avowal  of 
her  name. — Swinburne  sent  round  to  me,  for  my  perusal  and 
opinion  on  one  or  two  alternative  expressions,  his  ruthless 
sonnets  for  the  not-too-speedy  death  of  Louis  Napoleon. 
They  are  very  forcible.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  19  October. — Locker  called  on  me  at  Somerset 
House  to  say  that  Waller  in  Fleet  Street  has  some  Shelley 
autographs  to  dispose  of — not  apparently  of  any  exceptional 
interest,  but  I  will  look  them  up.  He  began  talking  of  the 
Byron-Stowe  affair,  and  is  decidedly  of  opinion  that  the 
accusation  has  broken  down — an  opinion  to  which  I  strongly 
tend  also.  I  asked  him  how  about  the  daughter  of  Byron 
and  Mrs  Leigh  stated  by  Mrs  Stowe  to  have  been  brought 
up  by  Lady  Byron.  He  says  that  he  has  no  doubt  this  is 
a  misapprehension  as  to  the  parentage.  .  .  .  Mr  Leigh  was 
.  .  .  a  queer  character — height  about  6  foot  3.  My  Aunt 
Charlotte  tells  me  that  old  Deagostini,  my  Grandfather's 
friend,  was  Italian  master  to  Miss  Milbanke  (Lady  Byron), 
and  thought  her  singularly  cold. — Locker,  who  has  lately 
been  in  Switzerland  with  Tennyson,  says  that  the  latter  is 
very  fair  as  a  mountain-climber,  which  rather  surprises  me, 
considering  the  shuffling  gait  which  characterizes  his  ordi- 
nary walking :  he  also  showed  great  vigour  as  an  oarsman, 
on  being  overtaken  by  a  storm  on  the  Lake  of  Lucerne. 
Locker  says  (but  did  not  tell  me  his  authority,  and  I  should 
hope  the  disgraceful  story  is  not  absolutely  true)  that  Payne 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


(of  Moxon's),  after  the  dissension  of  his  firm  with  Tenny- 
son, affixed  a  pair  of  ass's  ears  to  the  portrait  of  T[enny- 
son]  which  figures  in  the  Dover  Street  premises ;  also 
(which  I  had  heard  before)  that  he  wrote  an  .  .  .  attack 
on  T[ennyson]  in  7^ke  Queen's  Messenger.  Locker  intimated 
that  it  is  hardly  decorous  in  me  to  do  literary  work  for 
Payne  and  his  firm.  For  my  own  part,  now  that  the 
Shelley  job  is  almost  out  of  hand,  I  don't  set  any  very 
great  store  by  continuing  my  connexion  with  the  firm 
(limited  as  it  always  has  been  to  the  simplest  business- 
relation)  ;  but  on  the  other  hand  I  think  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible to  care  too  much  about  the  publisher  in  a  literary 
undertaking.  If  it  is  desirable  that  a  series  of  cheap  Poets 
should  be  issued,  and  that  I  should  work  upon  it,  the 
question  of  who  publishes  the  series  and  acts  as  my  pay- 
master is  after  all  a  subsidiary  one. 

Wednesday,  20  October. — Mamma  took  lodgings,  59  Burton 
Crescent,  for  Stillman  and  his  family,  who  are  expected  to 
reach  London  almost  daily.  Scott  called,  just  back  from 
Penkill.  He  says  that  Gabriel,  when  at  Penkill,  used  to  be 
composing  in  an  upper  room  frequently  while  S[cott]  and 
Miss  Boyd  were  in  a  lower  room,  and  his  movements  etc. 
used  to  be  audible.  After  he  was  gone,  the  same  sounds 
continued  distinctly  audible  to  S[cott]  and  Miss  B[oyd], 
and  also  to  the  Catholic  priest  Mr  Reid  (on  at  least  one 
occasion).  Miss  B[oyd]  was  much  startled  in  one  instance, 
and  went  into  the  upper  room  to  satisfy  herself  about  the 
matter.    This  is  curious.*  .  .  . 

Friday,  22  October. — Received  from  The  Academy  a  book 
for  review — Brisbane's  £^r/^  Years  of  Alexander  Sinith.\  .  .  . 

Monday,  25  October. — Stillman  came  to  London  to-day, 
expecting  to  stay  about  a  fortnight  en  route  from  Athens 
to  America,  where  he  thinks  of  taking  definitely  to  litera- 
ture. Aali  Pacha,  who  from  personal  intercourse  conceived 
a  good  opinion  of  him,  wished  him  to  stay  in  Crete  with  a 

*  This  matter  is  detailed  in  Scott's  Autobiographical  Notes. 
t  My  first  connexion  (I  believe)  with  The  Academy,  then  recently 
started. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  413 


sort  of  free  commission  and  general  command  of  funds,  for 
the  purpose  of  quieting  things  down,  and  acting  as  miscel- 
laneous referee  between  the  Government  and  the  islanders. 
For  some  reasons  he  would  have  liked  to  undertake  this  ; 
but,  being  unable  to  persuade  the  Government  to  include 
in  their  amnesty  persons  who  are  accused  of  private  acts  of 
violence  etc.  arising  out  of  the  insurrection,  he  considered 
the  position  untenable,  and  declined.  .  .  . 

Tuesday,  26  October. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  called.  He  has  now 
finished  copying  what  he  wants  out  of  the  unearthed  MS. 
book  of  poems ;  and  read  me  the  old  compositions — Jenny, 
Last  Confession,  Dante  in  Verona,  Portrait,  and  Bride- 
Chamber  Talk.  The  latter,  already  long,  would  he  thinks 
require  about  as  much  length  again  before  it  could  be  com- 
pleted on  a  congruous  scale.  This  he  thinks  would  be  too 
lengthy  for  his  forthcoming  volume  :  so  he  would  omit  the 
poem  from  that  volume,  and  finish  it  up  for  other  eventual 
use.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  27  October. — Went  to  Waller's  in  Fleet 
Street,  to  enquire  about  the  Shelley  autographs  which 
Locker  mentioned  to  me  a  few  days  back.  I  find  he  has 
at  present  only  one,  of  18 16,  addressed  to  Bryant,  who,  he 
says,  was  a  well-known  money-lender.  It  is  not  of  any 
particular  biographic  interest,  so  I  did  not  buy  it.  The 
price  is  higher  than  I  had  expected,  £\.  5s. ;  and  Waller 
says  that  important  letters  from  Shelley  have  readily  sold 
at  from  ;^I2  to  £1^. — Received  a  long  and  interesting  letter 
from  Swinburne,  acquiescing  in  the  combined  draft  of  the 
Ricciardi  letter ;  notifying  the  forthcoming  publication,  in 
the  Fortnightly,  of  his  sonnets  against  Louis  Napoleon 
(which  I  deprecate  as  too  hard-hearted) ;  etc.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  6  November. —  .  .  .  Conway  .  .  .  has  lately  re- 
turned from  Russia.  About  Moscow,  he  says,  one  may  see 
any  number  of  perfectly  naked  women  bathing  in  public, 
and  nobody  thinks  any  harm  of  it.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  y  November. — Went  to  the  Spartalis',*  to  meet 
there  Stillman  and  Dilberoglue :  there  were  also  several 
Mr  Spartali  was  at  this  time  Consul-General  for  Greece. 


414 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


others — Skinner,  the  newspaper-correspondent  lately  in  Crete, 
Captain  Pirn,  who  had  to  do  also  with  the  Island,  etc.  Miss 
S[partali]  showed  me  the  water-colour  she  is  now  engaged 
on — a  girl  by  a  window  looking  out  on  a  Venetian  Lagoon.* 
Nolly  Brown  (a  hitherto  unknown  poet)  has  written  a  sonnet 
to  it,  which  Miss  S[partali]  tells  me  is  very  fair.  .  .  . 

Monday^  8  November. — Gabriel,  who  called  in  Euston 
Square,  complains  very  much  of  a  constant  shaking  of  the 
hand  etc.  with  corresponding  internal  sensations.  He  sup- 
poses it  to  be  a  nervous  disease,  and  even  has  some  appre- 
hensions of  impending  paralysis:  the  symptoms  have  now 
been  going  on  several  days,  but  don't  seem  particularly  to 
affect  his  steadiness  of  hand  in  drawing  or  writing.  He 
has  consulted  in  writing  Marshall,  who  orders  iron  and 
other  tonics.  This  certainly  seems  enough  to  make  G[abriel] 
anxious ;  but  I  should  hope  the  inconvenience  will  prove 
temporary.  The  poor  wombat  died  the  other  day  after  some 
spasmodic  symptoms :  one  more  instance  of  the  extra- 
ordinary ill-luck  that  has  attended  G[abriel]'s  animals. 

Tuesday^  9  November. — Wrote  to  Rossi,  the  Genoese 
bookseller,  proposing  to  cede  to  him  for  ten  years  from  that 
day  the  right  of  publication  of  my  Father's  selected  poems — 
not  for  ever,  as  he  proposes.  .  .  . 

Friday^  12  November. — Moxon  sends  me  a  letter  addressed 
to  him  by  a  Mr  Catty,  saying  that  he  possesses,  and  would 
like  to  include  in  the  re-edition,  certain  poems  by  Shelley, 
as  yet  unpublished,  given  by  S[helley]  to  Catty's  Mother, 
then  a  Miss  Stacey :  he  sends  a  specimen  of  one,  which, 
though  not  highly  finished,  seems  beyond  suspicion.  This 
will  be  a  great  advantage.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  14  November. —  .  .  .  Brown  called  on  me  in  the 
evening.  .  .  .  Some  talk  on  questions  of  religion ;  and  I  find 
— more  definitely  than  I  knew  it  before — that  B[rown]  is 
very  little  of  a  theist :  he  seems  to  think  that  the  intellect 
which  regulates  the  world  is  simply  the  collective  intellect 
of  man. 

The  water-colour  is  now  in  the  possession  of  my  Daughter  Helen. 
It  was  shown  in  the  Glasgow  International  Exhibition  of  1901. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI- DIARY,  1869  415 


Monday,  15  November. — Dined  at  Brown's,  with  Miss 
Spartali,  Stillman,  and  Gabriel.  The  chief  raison  d'etre  of 
the  gathering  was  for  G[abriel]  to  read  some  of  his  poems 
to  Miss  S[partali],  which  he  did :  Last  Confession,  Lilith, 
Dante,  some  minor  poems.  .  .  .  Saw  Brown's  very  fine  water- 
colour  of  The  Entombment,  now  far  advanced.  Also  the  Don 
Juan,  which  is  in  some  respects  about  his  finest  work  ;  and 
monochrome  of  King  Lear  and  his  Daughters.  Miss  Spartali 
sits  for  Haidee.  .  .  . 

Friday,  19  November. —  Finished  transcribing  Mrs  Gil- 
christ's paper  on  Whitman  ;  wrote  a  few  introductory  words 
to  it,  and  the  letter  for  O'Connor  ;  and  sent  it  all  on  to  her 
for  final  consideration.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  21  November. —  .  .  .  Began  for  The  Portfolio 
my  promised  article  on  Hughes,  Windus,  and  Miss  Spartali : 
I  shall  add  the  younger  Browns,  and  a  word  about  Goodwin, 
as  coming  in,  along  with  Miss  S[partali],  in  the  character  of 
pupils  of  Brown. 

Monday,  22  November. — Called  at  Mr  Catty's,  to  enquire 
about  the  Shelley  poems  he  offered  for  publication.  It 
seems  that  the  Mr  C[atty]  who  made  this  offer  is  now  at 
Brighton ;  but  his  Brother,  Colonel  C[atty],  had  got  the 
packet  ready  for  delivery  to  me,  and  was  proposing  to  write 
to  me  about  it  forthwith.  He  was  in  a  hurry,  when  I  called, 
to  go  out  and  keep  an  engagement ;  but  received  me  very 
cordially,  and  I  arranged  to  call  again  to-morrow  to  take 
possession  of  the  packet. — Dined  at  Chelsea  with  Tebbs  and 
Knight,*  who  came  more  particularly  to  hear  some  of 
Gabriel's  poems.  .  .  .  G[abriel]  has  made  some  additions  to 
the  Dante  poem  etc. :  has  not  yet  resumed  painting  to  any 
extent. 

Tuesday,  23  November. — Called  again  on  Colonel  Catty, 
and  received  from  him  the  pocket-book  presented  by  Shelley 
to  the  then  Miss  S.  Stacey  (Mrs  Catty),  and  a  letter  from  Mrs 
Sh[elley]  and  Ker  husband  to  Miss  S.  Stacey.  The  former 
contains  a  new  poem,  Time  long  past,  and  two  old  ones ;  the 

*  Joseph  Knight,  the  Dramatic  Critic  and  Editor  of  Notes  and  Queries^ 
who  became  one  of  Dante  Rossetti's  biographers. 


416 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


letter  contains  the  Lines  on  a  Dead  Violet.  The  other  un- 
published poem,  of  which  two  stanzas  were  sent  to  Moxon  in 
the  first  instance,  still  remains  to  be  produced — also  the  copy 
of  The  Indian  Serenade.  Mrs  Catty  is  still  living.  Colonel 
C[atty]  seems  a  very  kind-hearted  man,  of  open,  courteous 
nature.  He  feels  a  pride  in  associating  his  name  with 
Shelley.  .  .  . 

Thursday^  25  November. — Dined  at  Scott's,  with  Dr 
Littledale  etc.  Dr  L[ittledale]  is  going  to  the  Roman 
Council,  as  a  sort  of  medium  of  information  between  the 
High-Church  party  here  and  the  Catholic  dignitaries.  He 
does  not  seem  to  expect  that  the  result  of  the  Council  will 
be  any  extensive  going-over  of  any  sort  of  Protestants  to 
Rome;  he  says  that  such  conversions  from  the  English 
Church  are  now  very  much  fewer  than  some  years  ago — the 
aspirations  of  the  more  Roman-tending  Anglicans  being  now 
fairly  met  in  their  own  Church.  He  believes  Dollinger  and 
Klee  to  be  authors  of  the  famous  pamphlet  by  "Janus." 
Miss  Boyd  returned  to  town  to-day.  Scott  says  that  Swin- 
burne, some  little  while  back  at  Chelsea,  mentioned  the  then 
forthcoming  letter  which  he  and  I  were  to  send  to  Ricciardi ; 
and  that  both  Scott  and  Gabriel  and  Nettleship  expressed 
their  willingness  to  see  about  signing  it  as  well.*  This  is 
w^holly  new  to  me ;  I  was  not  so  much  as  aware  that  any  of 
these  men  had  heard  of  the  letter. 

Friday^  26  November. — Received  the  remaining  Shelley 
verses  from  Mr  Catty — "  Thou  art  fair."  .  .  . 

Saturday^  27  November. —  .  .  .  Gabriel  (who  made  the 
other  night  a  slight  sketch  for  the  binding  of  the  Shelley) 
promised  to  put  it  into  such  shape  as  would  be  available  for 
the  binder's  purposes.  .  .  . 

Friday,  3  December. — Gabriel  brought  round  his  design 
for  binding  the  Shelley.f    It  would  look  very  nice  ;  but  is,  I 

*  It  appears  that  the  letter  was  not  eventually  sigfied  by  any  persons 
other  than  Swinburne  and  myself :  see  No.  265. 

t  I  am  not  sure  that  this  binding-design  (the  look  of  which  I  don't 
now  remember)  was  ultimately  used  for  any  purpose.  It  does  not  appear 
to  be  the  same  design  which  was  adopted  for  Forman's  edition  of  Shelley  : 


I 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1869  417 


suspect,  too  elaborate  for  Moxon's  purpose,  both  as  regards 
expense  and  time.  He  says  he  still  feels  very  unwell :  was 
intending  to  see  about  renting  Mrs  Gilchrist's  little  house  at 
Shottermill,  but,  on  writing  to  her,  learned  that  she  had  let 
it  to  some  one  else  only  a  few  hours  before.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  5  December. —  .  .  .  After  an  interval  of  thirteen 
months  or  so  I  resumed  this  evening  my  work  for  the  Chaucer 
Society — translation  of  the  passages  in  Boccaccio's  Filostrato 
which  Chaucer  has  utilized  in  his  Troylus.  .  .  . 

Friday,  10  December. — Gabriel  showed  me  Hake's  eccentric 
poem  of  Madeline.  He  is  himself  bent  (and  I  think  very 
wisely)  on  getting  out  his  volume  of  poems  in  the  Spring ; 
and  will  with  this  view  forego  writing  any  additional  poems 
for  it,  beyond  one.  As  to  this  one,  he  is  in  some  doubt 
whether  to  make  it  The  Orchaj^d-Pit,  which  he  schemed  out 
at  Penkill,  or  an  invention  that  has  lately  occurred  to  him  of 
The  Doom  of  the  Sirens :  *  he  inclines  to  this  latter.  He 
might  perhaps  treat  it  in  the  form  of  a  choral  drama,  but 
more  probably  as  a  narrative.  His  proposed  subject  of  The 
San  Great  he  has  laid  aside,  waiting  to  see  what  Tennyson 
will  have  made  of  the  same  theme  :  The  Harrowing  of  Hell \ 
he  means  to  treat  from  the  point  of  view  of  love-passion — as 
if  the  redemption  wrought  by  Christ  were  to  be  viewed  as  an 
elevation  of  the  conception  of  love  from  pleasure  into  passion, 
hence  entailing  the  redemption  from  hell  of  Adam  and  Eve, 
David  and  Bathsheba,  etc,  etc.  I  very  much  question  whether 
the  ideas  involved  in  this  scheme  are  not  self-conflicting,  and 
expressed  this  view  to  him.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  12  December. — Gabriel  has  now  consulted  Sir 
William  Jenner,  who  says  that  his  state  of  health  requires 
careful  attention — no  spirit-drinking,  going  to  bed  not  later 
than  midnight,  and  a  country- life  without  regular  professional 
work  for  the  next  six  months.    This  corresponds  pretty 

that  (I  understand)  had  been  intended  by  my  Brother  for  E.  S.  Dallas's 
book,  The  Gay  Science. 

*  My  Brother  did  not  after  all  write  either  of  these  poems  :  the  prose 
abstracts  of  them  appear  in  his  Collected  Works. 

t  Neither  The  San  Great  nor  The  Harrowing  of  Hell  was  written. 

2  D 


418 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


nearly  with  what  I  have  said  all  along — that  half  a  year's 
travelling  would  be  the  best  thing.  G[abriel]  has  also  again 
seen  Bowman  the  oculist,  who  says  that  the  eyes  are  in  the 
same  state  as  previously — not  organically  wrong.  .  .  . 

Monday^  13  December. — Replied  to  Mr  J.  H.  Dixon,  who 
has  sent  me  some  (not  very  useful)  emendations  for  Shelley. 
If  I  remember  right,  it  was  a  communication  of  his, 
printed  in  N\otes\  and  Q\iieries\  which  first  set  me  off  writing 
to  that  paper  about  Shelley,  and  thus  eventually  led  to  my 
re-editing  the  Poems. 

Tuesday,  14  December. —  .  .  .  Moxons  say  that  Gabriel's 
design  for  the  binding  would  be  too  expensive,  and  could  only 
be  used  for  an  edition  de  luxe :  as  such,  they  apparently  con- 
template adopting  it. 

Wednesday,  15  December. — Dr  Hake  (whom  I  meet  for 
the  first  time)  dined  with  two  or  three  others  at  Chelsea.  He 
has  been  reading  part  of  my  Father's  Amor  Plato?iico,  and  is 
considerably  struck  with  the  views  therein  expressed  as  to 
the  unreality  of  Beatrice,  Laura,  etc.  At  Gabriel's  instance 
he  has  now  cut  out  Petrarch  and  Laura  (under  those  names) 
from  his  poem  of  Madeline.  .  .  .  Hake  is  sixty. — The  poor 
wombat  has  now  been  stuffed,  and  figures  in  the  entrance-hall : 
his  "  effect "  is  not  satisfactory. 

Thirsday,  16  December. — As  Gabriel  prefers  to  get  back 
his  design  for  binding  the  Shelley,  ...  I  wrote  .  .  .  asking 
that  it  may  be  returned  to  G[abriel]  or  myself.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  22  December. — Received  an  interesting  letter 
from  Whitman,  relative  to  the  extracts  I  sent  over  in  the 
summer  from  Mrs  G[ilchrist]'s  letters,  which  he  regards  as, 
under  all  the  conditions,  the  most  "  magnificent  eulogium  "  he 
has  yet  received.  This  letter  must  have  been  written  before 
the  complete  papers  which  I  posted  towards  the  end  of 
November  had  been  seen  by  Whitman.  Two  copies  of  the 
last  photograph  taken  from  him  are  to  reach  me.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  29  December. — Received  the  last  proofs  of  the 
Shelley,  which  occupied  me  till  about  1.30  A.M.  .  .  . 


W.  J.  STILLMAN,  1869 


419 


211. — w.  J.  Stillman  to  William  Rossettl 

Athens. 
22  January  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  As  I  foresaw  in  case  of  the 
failure  of  Coroneos  to  go  to  Crete,  the  insurrection  is  dead  or 
in  its  last  gasp — not  from  the  capture  of  Petropoulaki  but 
from  his  going.  When  the  Committee  told  me  that  Petro- 
poulaki was  going,  I  replied  that  the  insurrection  would  be 
dead  by  their  New  Year  (January  13th).  This  expedition  was 
intended  to  brusque  affairs,  and  bring  on  a  pressure  which 
would  justify  the  Greek  Government  before  the  Greek  people 
in  abandoning  Crete,  which  they  had  already  decided  to  do 
by  resolution  of  the  King,  personally. 

I  have  done  all  I  could  ;  and,  if  I  could  have  had  Coroneos 
sent  over,  the  insurrection  would  have  gone  through  the 
winter  triumphantly.  But  we  have  failed  from  destiny,  not 
from  our  own  want  of  resolution ;  from  treason  of  others,  not 
of  ourselves. 

And  now  my  "  occupation's  gone  "  ;  not  only  figuratively 
but  literally,  as  I  have  got  into  the  bad  graces  of  our  present 
Government  which  is  philo-Turk  {i.e.  Seward,  Johnson,  etc.) ; 
and  the  Consulate  will  probably  be  abolished  this  session, 
throwing  me  out  of  service.  .  .  . 

I  am,  in  fine  weather,  amusing  myself  by  taking  a  series 
of  photos  of  the  Acropolis  ;  not  only  picturesque,  but  to  show 
the  technical  characteristics  of  Greek  architecture.  It  will 
comprise  about  twenty  small  views.  .  .  . — Yours  affection- 
ately, 

W.  J.  Stillman. 


420 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


212. — Dr  Garnett  to  William  Rossettl 

British  Museum. 
5  February  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  would  cheerfully  afford  any 
information  respecting  matters  of  fact  you  might  wish  for, 
and  [furnish  you]  with  my  opinion  on  any  doubtful  or  obscure 
passages  of  Shelley's  life.  A  true  admirer  of  Shelley  ought 
to  be  above  all  petty  jealousy,  and  I  assure  you  that  your 
undertaking  his  biography  will  give  me  nothing  but  pleasure. 

I  did  not  see  your  communications  to  Notes  and  Queries 
until  some  time  after  they  were  completed.  ...  I  should  be 
much  obliged  if  you  would  let  me  see  the  alterations  you  pro- 
pose introducing  into  the  text,  or  suggesting  in  notes,  before 
they  are  printed.  If  I  find  that  I  have  any  emendations  by 
me  I  will  send  you  them.  .  .  . — Yours  very  truly, 

Richard  Garnett. 


213. — Madox  Brown  to  William  Rossettl 

37  FiTZROY  Square. 
9  February  1869. 

My  dear  William, — I  meant  last  night  to  have  spoken  to 
youl respecting  something  your  Brother  told  me  respecting 
illustrations  required  for  a  general  edition  of  the  Poets,  but  I 
forgot. 

Thinking  the  matter  over,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  I  should  like  to  undertake  the  whole  in  a  bundle  if  Payne 
can  be  got  to  give  them — for  I  have  nothing  else  to  do  at 
present,  and  they  do  say  things  are  to  be  worse  before  they 
are  better  in  the  picture-selling  line. — Ever  yours  sincerely, 

Ford  Madox  B. 


MADOX  BROWN,  1809 


421 


214. — Dr  Garnett  to  William  Rossettl 

British  Museum. 

15  February  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  As  soon  as  I  can  possibly  find  time 
I  will  copy  out  for  you  all  the  fragments  which  were  considered 
too  imperfect  for  publication  in  the  Relics^  for  incorporation 
with  the  latter  or  publication  in  the  Appendix,  as  you  may 
deem  best.    You  will  find  some  of  them  very  interesting.  .  .  . 

I  suppose  you  will  include  the  rifacimento  of  Queeji  Mab, 
entitled  The  Dceinon  of  the  World,  in  the  Appendix.  Have 
you  a  copy  of  it?  It  was  published  along  with  Alastor  in 
1 8 16,  and  has  not,  so  far  as  I  know,  been  reprinted.  If  you 
have  not  access  to  it,  I  will  transcribe  it  for  you  from  the 
Museum  copy.  .  .  . — Yours  very  truly, 

Richard  Garnett. 


215. — Madox  Brown  to  William  Rossettl 

37  FiTZROY  Square. 
18  February  1869. 

My  dear  William, — Mr  Payne's  scheme  of  an  illustrated 
edition  of  the  British  Poets  is  a  grand  one,  and  of  a  kind 
that  ought  certainly  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  our  more 
thoughtful  artists. 

I  do  not  however  so  readily  see  how  it  is  to  be  made  a 
cheap  one,  or  even  a  very  moderate  one.  If  the  best  artists 
in  the  country  are  to  be  pitted  against  each  other,  none  of 
them  in  particular  will  feel  much  interest  in  the  undertaking 
except  in  so  far  as  their  own  individual  few  designs  are 
concerned.  They  will  each  feel  a  nervous  apprehension  lest 
their  own  works  should  appear  less  successful  than  the 
others.  They  will  give  themselves  trouble — take  time,  delay 
the  work,  and  necessarily  require  payment  in  accordance. 


422 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


It  will  be  a  repetition  of  the  Illustrated  Tennyson.  Each 
artist  thinking  only  of  his  own  drawings,  the  whole  will  be, 
like  that  celebrated  undertaking,  wanting  in  that  ensemble 
and  uniformity  so  much  required  by  the  public  in  any  work 
of  the  kind ;  and  gradually  the  whole,  growing  beyond  the 
publisher's  first  intention  or  powers  of  control,  will  either 
remain  a  continual  hazardous  worry  on  his  hands,  or  have  to 
stop  short  half-way  of  the  goal.  This  however  might  be 
avoided  by  restricting  the  number  of  artists  to  a  practicable 
limit ;  selecting  them  of  a  congenial  turn  of  thought ;  and 
settling  beforehand  very  strictly  the  size,  nature,  and  style, 
of  the  illustrations.  I  agree  myself  entirely  with  Payne's 
notion  that  wood-engraving  piLblications  have  begun  to  pall 
upon  the  tastes  of  the  more  fastidious  and  intelligent  of  the 
public.  The  style  of  thing  I  w^ould  myself  have  proposed  I 
intended  should  avoid  the  commonplace  quality,  by  means 
of  greater  dignity  and  simplicity  of  style,  and  especially  by 
a  sustained  uniformity  of  imaginative  and  intellectual  faculty, 
versus  the  picturesque  black-and-white  dexterous  unmeaning- 
nesses  that  are  now  prevalent. 

The  notion  however  of  substituting  steel-plate  for  wood 
is  to  my  mind  by  no  means  a  bad  one ;  only  I  don't  quite 
understand  what  Mr  Payne  means  by  etchings — does  he  not 
rather  mean  a  kind  of  slight  engraving  ?  Etching  is  a  rough, 
eminently  artistic  sort  of  work,  which  may  be  admirable  in 
the  hands  of  some  men,  but  which  must  sink  into  bathos  at 
once  if  divorced  from  the  hand  of  the  first  designer.  A  very 
rough  sort  of  drawing  may  look  w^ell  skilfully  engraved,  but 
the  effectiveness  of  the  drawing  is  the  very  quality  that  takes 
most  time.  Finish  without  strong  effect  is  less  laborious  of 
attainment.  As  to  the  selection  of  the  subjects,  it  would  be 
difficult  for  any  one  but  an  artist  of  intellect  to  do  that. 
However,  yourself  being  so  much  mixed  up  with  art  would 
be  an  assurance  that  the  work  would  be  safer  entrusted  to 
you  than  to  most  people.  The  proposed  vignettes  and  tail- 
pieces, unless  entrusted  to  some  one  who  is  a  thorough 
master  of  ornamental  art,  might  very  much  endanger  the 
dignity  of  appearance  of  the  edition — but  might  add  much 


F.  T.  PALGRAVE,  1869 


423 


to  the  beauty  of  it  if  done  as  Holbein  might  be  expected 
to  have  done,  for  instance. 

So  much  for  my  ideas  on  the  subject,  jotted  down.  I  do 
not  mean  to  infer,  however,  that  I  should  object  to  take  part 
in  the  undertaking  in  the  event  of  these  suggestions'  not 
prevailing.  I  did  object  to  take  part  in  the  Tennyson  work  ; 
but  that  was  because  Moxon  came  to  me  late,  when  I  should 
have  had  to  hurry  over  the  work  at  a  disadvantage  to  my 
reputation  in  comparison  with  the  other  men  engaged. 

In  conclusion,  you  may  inform  Mr  Payne  that  I  shall  be 
very  glad  to  help  in  this  most  laudable  undertaking,  and 
trust  that  he  will  find  me  as  reasonably  disposed  as  to  re- 
muneration as  any  other  of  my  fraternity  and  compeers. 

I  wish  we  might  have  been  present  to  hear  with  you  the 
Cantata  from  your  Sister's  Cornfield  songs  ;  and  trust  it  will 
turn  out  a  success  for  her  and  Macfarren,  who  is  so  much 
respected  by  the  English  musicians. — As  ever,  yours. 

Ford  Madox  Brown. 


216. — F.  T.  Palgrave  to  William  Rossettl 

[Mr  Palgrave  here  deprecates  my  doing  what  I  never 
proposed  to  do — i.e.,  to  make  alterations  in  the  text  of  Shelley 
without  specifying  them  in  my  notes.  I  replied  explaining 
my  real  intention,  and  he  then  withdrew  all  the  substantial 
part  of  his  objection.  I  shall  re-produce  a  part  of  his  second 
letter  (No.  217),  although  this  passage  and  others  have  been 
published  in  the  interesting  Memorial  of  Mr  Palgrave  which 
his  Daughter  brought  out  in  1899]. 

5  York  Gate,  Regent's  Park. 
23  Febrtcary  1869. 

Dear  Rossetti, — The  work  you  have  undertaken  is  of 
such  great  importance  to  our  literature  (and  is  also  so  certain 
to  be  closely  scanned)  that  I  hope  you  will  not  mind  my 
\yriting  to  you  again  aboyt  it 


424 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


What  you  aim  at  is  a  monumental  or  classical  text  of 
Shelley.  I  agree  that  this  may  properly  include  whatever  he 
published  {e.g.  the  Nicholson  poems),  with  as  many  of  the 
unpublished  as  suit  your  discretion  as  Editor.  .  .  . 

In  regard  to  the  text  of  such  an  edition,  I  feel  confident 
that  my  opinion  will  be  shared  by  all  who  care  for  our  litera- 
ture in  general,  and  for  Shelley  in  particular.  Your  duty  is, 
in  regard  (i)  to  all  things  printed  by  Shelley,  (2)  to  all  things 
for  which  you  recur  to  the  MS.  (as  the  poems  first  so  printed 
by  his  Wife,  or  any  ones  not  yet  published),  to  give  the  text 
precisely  as  you  find  it ;  but  with  the  freest  power  of  placing 
your  corrections  and  conjectures  below. 

I  am  sure  that  I  am  right  in  saying  that  this  rule  will  not 
only  save  you  much  trouble,  but  will  also  save  you  much 
future  annoyance,  and  earn  you  the  gratitude  of  future 
English  readers. 

You  are  wholly  in  error  in  regard  to  what  I  did  in  TJie 
Golden  Treasury  ;  as  I  noted  every  omission  or  change  in  the 
text.  If  you  ask,  "Why  did  you  then  not  place  your  correc- 
tion in  the  notes?" — my  reply  is  that  books  are  published 
under  different  laws,  as  they  have  different  objects.  .  .  . — 
Ever  truly  yours, 

F.  T.  Palgrave. 


217. — F.  T.  Palgrave  to  William  Rossettl 

5  York  Gate. 
25  February  1869. 

Dear  Rossetti, — Your  note  gives  me  a  new  insight  into 
your  work,  and  does  away  with  nine-tenths  of  what  I  said. 
I  had  inferred  from  your  first  letter  that  your  changes  of 
text  were  not,  necessarily  and  uniformly,  to  be  accompanied 
with  an  explanatory  note. 

The  main  point  is  that  a  reader  shall  be  able  to  know 
precisely  what  the  author  wrote  or  printed  :  if  this  be  done 


DR  GARNETT,  1869 


425 


once  for  all,  it  is  more  a  matter  of  simple  taste  than  any- 
thing whether  obvious  errors  shall  be  corrected  above  or 
below. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  you  are  right  in  reprinting  all  that 
has  been  printed.  .  .  . — Ever  truly  yours, 

F.  T.  Palgrave. 


218. — Dr  Garnett  to  William  Rossettl 

[With  reference  to  the  curious  surname  "  Daphne,"  I  may 
remark  that,  being  at  Otley  in  the  autumn  of  1890,  I  noticed 
this  name  over  a  shop-front] 

4  St  Edmund's  Terrace. 
I  March  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  The  reference  to  the  Castle  of 
Petrella  is  in  a  book  entitled  De  Paris  d  Sybarzs,  by  Palustre 
de  Montifaut,  Paris,  1868.  He  does  not  describe  the  place, 
and  does  not  seem  to  have  examined  it,  but  says,  in  a  letter 
dated  Aquila,  March  13th,  1867  :  "  En  passant  ce  matin  pres  du 
Chateau  de  Petrella,  ou  s'accomplit  la  sanglante  tragedie,  j'ai 
toutefois  voulu  evoquer  ces  monstrueux  souvenirs," — and  then 
goes  off  into  the  Cenci  story.  As  he  had  seen  the  Castle  "  ce 
matin,"  it  must  be  near  Aquila ;  and,  as  Aquila  is  close  to  the 
frontier  of  the  Papal  States,  I  suppose  we  may  infer  that  it  is 
just  across  the  border. 

I  have  just  read,  in  the  current  number  of  The  Ge7itleman's 
Magazine  (p.  451),  an  anecdote  which  you  should  by  all  means 
make  a  note  of  when  you  come  to  "  My  Aunt  Nicholson  "  : — 
"  Within  the  memory  of  a  literary  friend,  this  startling 
announcement  was  to  be  seen  within  the  window  of  a  public 
house  at  the  corner  of  Clare  Market :  '  To  be  seen  within,  the 
fork  belonging  to  the  knife  with  which  Margaret  Nicholson 
attempted  to  stab  his  Majesty,  George  III.'"  This  is  nearly 
as  good  as  that  other  exhibition  of  "  the  skull  of  Oliver  Crom- 
well when  he  was  a  little  boy."    By  the  way,  Margaret's 


426 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Grandson  is  or  was  lately  Parish-clerk  of  Otley  in  Yorkshire, 
under  the  name  of  Daphne.  Her  Son  changed  his  name  to 
avoid  obloquy,  and,  being  a  gardener,  hit  upon  the  classical 
appellation  aforesaid. — Yours  very  truly, 

Richard  Garnett. 


219. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[That  is  a  well-known  Shelleian  anecdote  "about  the 
parson  who  heard  the  name  of  Shelley"  etc.  I  did,  in  1869, 
ask  Trelawny  about  it ;  and  found,  rather  to  my  surprise,  that 
he  did  not  believe  that  the  incident  had  ever  occurred.  It 
has  ever  since  remained  to  me  one  of  the  unexplained 
mysteries  of  Shelley's  life,  or  of  his  inventive  faculty.] 

Florence,  2  Ponte  Vecchio. 
2  March  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Bravo !  I  am  glad  you  are  going  to 
revive  Shelley.  I  have  written  to  Trelawny,  and  told  him 
that  I  advised  you  to  consult  him.  He  was  his  greatest  friend^ 
and  can  tell  you  much  about  him.  Do  you  know  Trelawny's 
two  works,  The  Younger  Son,  and  Recollections  of  Shelley  and 
Byron  ?  The  former  was  written  before  he  knew  Shelley ; 
the  latter  is  full  of  him,  and  he  can  tell  you  much  more  than 
what  he  printed.  T[relawny]  knew  your  Father,  and  must 
remember  him  well.  I  have  seen  five  editions  of  The  Yoimger 
Son  in  English  and  French.  It  had  a  great  success  in  France. 
I  remember  some  critic,  quoting  him,  said  :  "  Le  joyeux  et 
-terrible  Trelawny,  dont  les  memoires  ne  le  cedent  en  rien  a 
ceux  de  son  ami  Byron,  si  injustement  mutiles  par  un  deposi- 
taire  infidele."  I  am  sorry  to  see  by  T[relawny]'s  letters  that 
he  is  getting  melancholy — age,  no  doubt,  though  he  is  younger 
than  me ;  but  I  make  it  a  rule  to  chase  the  blue  devils,  and 
my  spirit-friends  have  made  it  easy.  .  .  . 

I  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
Mr  Pietrocola-Rossetti,  and  I  am  charmed  with  him.  Frank, 


\ 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  18G9  427 

spirited,  and  amiable.  He  knew  much  of  your  Father, 
cherishes  his  memory,  and  admires  his  genius  and  learning. 
I  will  show  him  the  letters  I  have  saved.  There  are  hints  in 
them,  especially  towards  the  last,  in  which  I  think  he  alludes 
to  his  final  discoveries  ;  which  he  said  he  saved  for  the  end  of 
his  Beatrice^  most  likely  destroyed  by  .  .  .  Aroux — whose 
disgraceful  book  nobody  cares  for.  I  have  got  his  presenta- 
tion-copy with  an  inscription  to  Ste.  Beuve.  The  leaves  were 
not  cut  open  !  .  .  . 

Ask  Trelawny  about  the  parson  who  heard  the  name  of 
Shelley  at  the  Post  Office,  and  knocked  him  down  because  he 
heard  that  he  was  an  atheist.  S[helley]  was  very  delicate, 
and  the  parson  very  stout.  Trelawny  was  long  hunting  for 
him  to  pay  him  off. 

Does  Swinburne  still  intend  to  write  on  the  subject  of 
Landor?  .  .  . 

I  have  been  reading  Taylor's  Life  of  my  old  friend  Haydon. 
It  is  a  most  melancholy  history.  Eastlake  told  me  it  was 
intensely  interesting.  So  it  is  to  us  who  knew  him  and  most 
of  the  people  mentioned  in  it.  I  told  Taylor  when  he  was 
here  that  I  had  many  of  Haydon's  letters ;  and,  as  he 
published  a  second  edition,  they  would  have  been  useful,  as 
they  were  very  confidential,  and  there  are  some  sketches  of 
his  head,  very  like  him.  He  was  the  first  designer  in 
Europe ;  as  I  ascertained  when  I  went  to  Paris,  and  made 
the  acquaintance  of  David  and  all  his  school,  Girodet,  Gerard, 
Gros,  Prudhon,  Guerin,  etc.  As  for  Ingres  and  Scheffer,  they 
remained  far  behind.  Horace  Vernet  and  Delaroche  were 
good  in  their  way,  but  that  was  limited.  But  for  profound 
knowledge  of  the  figure  Haydon  was  beyond  them  all.  .  .  . — 
Ever  yours, 

S.  KiRKUP. 

P.S. — Three  times  I  have  written  to  Browning,  to  get  my 
letters  and  papers  of  Landor  from  Forster.  .  .  .  There  are 
scraps  in  Latin  and  English,  not  published  except  in  news- 
papers, that  it  would  be  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  meet 
with.    I  could  tell  S[winburne]  much  about  L[andor]'s  affairs. 


428 


rossp:tti  papers 


and  his  treatment  by  his  family,  and  parsons  and  parsons' 
wives  in  England  etc.  ... 


220. — James  Smetiiam  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[In  this  amusing  letter  there  is  a  passage  which  seems  to 
imply  that  Smetham  had,  in  one  form  or  another,  produced  a 
"  portrait  "  of  Rossetti.  I  can  only  say  that  I  have  not  now 
any  sort  of  recollection  of  it.  The  original  letter  closes  with 
a  humorous  sketch  of  Brown  and  Rossetti,  under  the  guise 
of  owls,  looking  at  Smetham's  pictures,  with  Smetham 
cowering  in  the  background.  To  the  sketch  is  appended 
the  motto  which  is  here  given  in  a  note.*] 

I  Park  Lane,  Stoke  Newington. 
8  March  1869. 

My  dear  Gabriel, — Friday  will  do  as  well  as  any  other 
evening.  ...  I  shall  be  most  glad  to  see  Brown ;  though, 
with  two  such  stunners  staring  at  my  pictures  at  once,  I 
don't  know  what's  to  become  of  my  nerves.  I  must  say 
beforehand  that  any  proposals  amounting  to  a  change  of 
the  foreground  and  an  entire  reconstruction  of  the  background 
are  too  late.  .  .  . 

I  am  glad  your  friends  are  so  satisfied  with  your  portrait. 
Whether  the  next  is  to  be  handsomer  or  uglier  depends  on 
what  you  say  as  to  my  work.  Every  stricture  writes  a 
wrinkle  on  your  azure  brow — every  word  of  candid  praise 
cosmeticizes  you. 

I  am  much  obliged  to  your  Brother  for  his  recommendation 
to  Moxon.  .  .  . — Affectionately  yours, 

JAS.  Smetham. 

*  "Well,  Brother  Gabriel,"  said  the  Brown  Owl,  "but  this  is  abominable  !" — 
"  Hoot  mon,"  replied  Owl  Gabriel,  "dinna  ye  "  etc. — (See  Bad  Words  for  March 
1869.) 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


429 


221. — William  Rossetti  to  William  Allingham. 

12  March  [1869]. 

Dear  Allingham, —  ...  I  am  in  an  advanced  stage  of  the 
Shelley  process,  and  will  indulge  myself  in  a  few  details. 

The  Edition  will  present  the  following  arrangement : — 

Prefatory  Matter  (Mrs  Shelley's  and  my  own). 

Long  Poems,  arranged  according  to  dates  (including 
Julian  and  Maddaio^  EpipsycJiidion^  and  various  others 
hitherto  mixed  up  with  short  ones). 

Miscellaneous  Poems,  according  to  years. 

Fragments,  according  to  dates  (includes  all  fragments, 
even  to  so  important  a  work  as  Triiiniph  of  Life). 

Translations,  according  to  authors. 

Appendix,  according  to  dates  (Juvenile  poems,  variations, 
etc.    I  omit  nothing  I  can  discover,  however  rubbishy.) 
My  own  notes. 

I  have  now  done,  broadly  speaking,  the  whole  of  the 
above,  and  have  begun  giving  the  volume  its  final  reading. 
A  few  extras,  however,  are  coming  in  at  the  close : — Some 
scraps  extracted  by  Garnett,  and  as  yet  unpublished,  and 
(in  my  own  hands,  received  from  him)  one  of  Shelley's  MS. 
books,  which  contains,  I  find,  a  considerable  bulk  of  Charles 
the  First  as  yet  unprinted,  and  which  I  am  deciphering — 
no  easy  job.  Some  notes  and  verifications  are  still  needed ; 
and  the  whole  Memoir  has  to  be  written.  For  this,  however, 
I  have  made  notes  from  almost  all  the  books  needing  to  be 
consulted ;  and  have  also  recopied  the  notes  in  a  tabulated 
form  (a  heavy  task),  so  as  to  see  what  the  various  authorities 
say  on  the  same  particular  points.  ...  I  have  now  been 
sticking  to  it — I  may  say  incessantly — since  the  middle  of 
November ;  and  I  know  the  time  has  been  fully  occupied, 
though  possibly  the  results  may  seem  meagre. 

I  did  speak  to  Browning  about  the  work  one  even- 
ing in  January  that  he  was  at  our  house.  He  responded 
cordially,  but  did  not  enter  into  the  subject  in  the  way  of 


430  ROSSETTI  PAPERS 

suggesting  or  discussing  any  special  point  of  treatment.  .  .  . 
— Yours, 

W.  M.  ROSSETTI. 

P.S. — I  should  have  said  that  Garnett  assured  me  the 
Shelley  family  give  full  permission  for  my  making  what  I  can 
of  the  MS.  book  now  in  my  hands. 


222. — Robert  Browning  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[This  note  refers  to  T/ie  Fortnightly  Review^  and  its  then 
Editor,  Mr  John  Morley.] 

19  Warwick  Crescent,  Upper  Westbourne  Terrace. 
20  March  1869. 

Dear  Rossetti, — You  know  my  old  ways :  I  hope,  grati- 
tude to  so  kind  a  critic  as  Mr  Morley  is  one  of  them — but 
indeed  it  is  not  inconsistent  with  an  impossibility  of  doing 
what  he  proposes,  and  what,  for  his  sake,  I  wish  I  could  do. 
Were  I  ever  so  disposed,  I  should  be  hampered  much,  if  not 
altogether  hindered,  by  a  certain  number  of  refusals  to  earlier 
applicants,  who  had  my  apologies  along  with  the  assurance 
that  I  should  write  for  nobody. 

It  is  hardly  with  a  grace — though  the  opportunity  tempts 
— that  I  speak  here  of  whs-tf  ou  wrote  this  month,  or  at  least 
printed  :  and,  as  for  all  the  "  other  precious,  precious  jewels  " 
that  you  made  me  bright  with  in  your  letters,  I  can't  speak 
of  them  now  nor  at  any  time — nor  would  you  wish  it. — Ever 
affectionately  yours, 

Robert  Browning. 


DR  GARNETT,  1869 


431 


223. — Philip  Hamerton  to  William  Rossettl 

Pre  Charmoy,  Autun,  Saone  et  Loire. 
21  March  1869. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  was  as  dissatisfied  as  you  could 
be  with  the  title  Amateur  for  our  periodical.  .  .  .  Since  then 
I  have  hit  upon  The  Portfolio.  .  .  . 

I  was  rather  surprised  that  you  should  seem  to  apprehend 
any  interference  on  my  part  with  what  you  might  write.  All 
that  I  should  require  of  contributors  would  be  that  they 
would  give  me  notice  (before  writing  an  article)  of  the  subject 
chosen,  and  the  length ;  in  order  that,  if  another  contributor 
had  chosen  the  same  subject,  or  the  length  were  inconvenient, 
I  might  have  the  opportunity  of  saying  so.  As  to  opinion, 
all  intelligent  men  differ ;  it  is  only  stupid  people  who  agree, 
and  they  only  agree  because  their  opinions  are  secondhand 
and  come  from  the  same  source.  You  may  occasionally 
differ  from  my  views  ;  but  this  does  not  in  any  way  lessen 
my  respect  for  you,  or  disincline  me  to  publish  your  papers. 
As  to  correcting  your  papers  so  as  to  bring  them  into  har- 
mony with  my  views,  I  must  say  that  I  am  wholly  incapable 
of  anything  of  the  kind ;  that  I  would  not  stand  it  myself  if 
it  were  attempted  with  me  (which  it  never  has  been) ;  and 
that,  if  I  ask  any  one  to  contribute,  it  is  that  I  believe  him 
to  be  worth  listening  to — and  consequently  should  wish  him 
to  speak  his  own  mind,  and  not  mine.  .  .  . — Very  truly 
yours, 

P.  G.  Hamerton. 


224. — Dr  Garnett  to  William  Rossetti. 

The  old  lady  "  (Miss  Rumble)  did  not,  as  it  turned  out, 
wholly  deserve  companionship  with  Beelzebub.  Dr  Garnett 
made  her  acquaintance  a  few  years  later  on,  and  she  allowed 


432 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


him  to  transcribe  a  very  interesting  letter  from  Shelley  (No. 
102  in  Forman's  edition),  and  a  letter  from  Mary  Shelley 
relating  to  the  Poet's  death.  She  possessed  transcripts  of 
other  letters  from  Shelley  and  Mary  to  the  Gisbornes  (all 
or  nearly  all  of  them  printed) ;  also  the  walnut-bowl,  men- 
tioned in  the  verse-letter  to  Mrs  Gisborne,  which  Miss 
Rumble  eventually  bequeathed  to  the  British  Museum. 
There  were  moreover  copious  journals  by  Mr  Gisborne, 
beginning  towards  1824.  The  MSS.  were  sold  by  auction 
after  Miss  Rumble's  death,  and  were  purchased  by  Sir 
Percy  Shelley.] 

4  St  Edmund's  Terrace. 
22  March  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  have  heard  from  Miss  Blind's  friend 
at  Plymouth,  and  send  you  a  transcript  of  the  most  material 
part  of  his  letter.  There  seems  nothing  left  but  to  com- 
mend the  old  lady  to  Beelzebub,  which  I  do  for  my  part 
with  singular  cordiality.  It  is  fair  to  say  however  that  the 
papers  destroyed  probably  related  for  the  most  part  to  Mrs 
Gisborne's  affairs  during  her  first  marriage,  which  would 
account  for  Mr  Reveley's  anxiety  to  get  them  out  of  the 
way.  The  Shelleys  have  numbers  of  similar  documents, 
which  I  have  never  had  time  to  inspect.  .  .  . — Yours  very 
truly, 

Richard  Garnett. 

"  At  the  death  of  the  Gisbornes  she  (Miss  Rumble)  in- 
herited their  household-effects  and  some  small  legacy ;  and 
they  left  in  her  hands  large  masses  of  letters  and  manu- 
scripts of  various  kinds,  which  she  was  to  keep  until  the 
return  of  Mr  Reveley  from  abroad.  She  kept  them,  and 
on  his  return  communicated  the  fact  to  him  ;  but  he  was 
no  Shelley  enthusiast,  and  told  her  to  destroy  them,  as  he 
did  not  want  them ;  and  I  believe  they  were  nearly  all 
burned.  What  remained  she  sent  to  Mr  Reveley  some 
time  ago  at  his  own  request ;  and  she  retains  nothing  now 
but  a  few  sheets  of  autographs,  and  a  few  relics  connected 
with  Shelley.    She  has  also  still  a  few  letters  which  she 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


433 


has  shown  to  me  in  confidence,  but  positively  refuses  to 
let  them  be  seen  by  any  one  else,  as  she  is  under  a  promise 
to  that  effect  to  Mr  Reveley.  I  may  say  however  that 
they  do  not  throw  much  light  upon  anything. 

T.  W.  Freckelton. 


225. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Professor  Norton. 

[In  consequence  of  this  request  Rossetti  re-obtained 
possession  of  the  water-colour  of  Clerk  Saunders.  After  his 
death  it  came  into  my  hands :  and  from  them  it  passed  into 
those  of  Mr  C.  Fairfax  Murray.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk. 
19  A'pril  1869. 

My  dear  Norton, — You  expressed  a  kind  intention  of 
visiting  my  studio  by  daylight.  .  .  . 

I  have  long  wished  to  make  a  proposal  to  you.  It  would 
be  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  possess  the  drawing  you  have 
by  my  late  Wife,  of  Clerk  Saunders^  to  add  to  those  of  hers 
which  are  now  mine,  and  which  every  year  teaches  me  to 
value  more  and  more  as  works  of  genius,  even  apart  from 
other  personal  interest  to  me.  None  would  ever  have  been 
parted  with,  of  course,  had  we  not  then  hoped  that  these  little 
things  were  but  preludes  to  much  greater  ones — a  hope  which 
was  never  to  be  realized.  I  would  not  offer  you  a  profit  on 
the  drawing,  as  you  would  probably  not  accept  that ;  but 
would  esteem  it  a  great  favour  if  you  would  let  me  have  it  at 
its  original  price — 35  guineas,  if  I  recollect; — or  would,  if  you 
preferred  it,  make  a  chalk  drawing  of  Mrs  Norton,  life-size,  of 
the  kind  for  which  I  am  in  the  habit  of  charging  60  to  80 
guineas.  This  I  should  do  with  the  greatest  pleasure,  and 
consider  myself  still  greatly  your  debtor. — Ever  yours, 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


434 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


226. — William  Rossetti  to  Frances  Rossetti. 

Hotel  de  l'Europe,  Piazza  Santa  Trinita,  Florence. 
19  April  [1869]. 

Dear  Mamma, —  ...  In  Rome  we  saw  a  good  deal, 
especially  in  the  way  of  antiquities  and  the  leading  monu- 
ments of  art.  Tupper  is  a  persistent  traveller,  and  very  ready 
— most  agreeably  so — to  admire  whatever  really  deserves  it : 
he  is  also  most  friendly  and  good-humoured.  Unfortunately  for 
him,  and  in  a  minor  degree  for  me,  his  health  has  been  very 
seriously  out  of  order,  interfering  with  our  seeing  some  things 
at  all,  or  others  comfortably.  At  times  his  weakness  was 
extreme,  and  great  energy  must  have  been  demanded  to 
enable  him  to  do  as  much  as  he  did  ;  his  cough  and  chest 
plagued  him.  .  .  .  His  cough  and  health  were  so  bad  that  he 
got  to  think  Rome  an  unfavourable  air :  we  therefore  left 
slightly  earlier  than  we  had  intended,  and  came  on  hither  to 
Florence,  passing  through  and  looking  at  Foligno,  Spello,  and 
Assisi  (glorious  country,  and  some  wonderful  things  in 
mediaeval  art).  Since  Saturday  week  he  had  been  stronger, 
and  somewhat  less  bad  in  the  chest  and  throat :  but  this 
morning  he  seemed  half  dead  with  spasms.  They  seized  him 
at  midnight,  and  went  on  incessantly  till  about  noon,  half 
choking  him  at  every  breath ;  to  lie  down  any  part  of  the 
night  was  impossible.  Of  all  this  I  knew  nothing  till  about 
7.30  A.M.,  when  he  came  into  my  bedroom  looking  like  a 
spectre.  I  had  to  run  off  for  a  Doctor ;  and  at  length  one 
was  procured  who  has  assuaged  the  spasms,  and  perhaps  (I 
have  no  great  confidence  in  it)  Tupper  may  be  capable  of 
moving  about  again  the  day  after  to-morrow.  I  am  writing 
this  in  his  bedroom,  where  he  is  half  dozing  and  half  gasping 
— 4  o'clock  P.M.  .  .  . 

Hunt  is  here — a  good  deal  better  than  when  he  left 
London — and  has  been  doing  everything  friendly,  especially 
at  this  Tupperian  crisis.  He  ought  to  have  gone  to-day  to 
Venice,  but  proposes  postponing  it  till  to-morrow,    I  have 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


435 


also  seen  a  good  deal  of  Theodoric  and  his  Wife,  who  are 
most  cordial  and  affectionate.  .  .  .  Theodoric  (who  has  just 
called,  and  even  asks  Tupper  to  go  to  him  and  be  nursed  by 
his  Wife)  joins  in  affectionate  messages. — Your  affectionate 

William. 

Poor  old  Kirkup  has  been  very  unwell,  and  looks  almost 
moribund  :  but  I  am  told  his  power  of  recovering  is  great.  .  .  . 


227. — William  Rossetti  to  Frances  Rossettl 

Hotel  de  l'Europe,  Florence. 
21  Apn'l  [iSSgl 

Dear  Mamma, — Poor  Tupper's  illness  goes  on  fearfully 
amiss :  I  very  much  fear  it  will  end  fatally,  and  at  no  distant 
date.  Two  Doctors  have  seen  him,  and  call  the  disease 
nervous  contraction  of  the  muscles  of  the  lower  belly,  conse- 
quent on  a  cold :  in  fact,  much  the  same  thing  as  tetanus,  but 
?iot  of  the  kind  that  ends  in  lockjaw.  His  sufferings  are 
appalling,  and  the  Doctor  who  has  attended  the  case  through- 
out says  he  never  saw  such  fortitude,  nor  so  extraordinary  an 
instance  of  the  disease.  Yesterday  I  wrote  to  the  Brother 
George  Tupper  (4  Barge  Yard,  Bucklersbury) :  next  tele- 
graphed that  he  had  better  come  :  finally,  at  Tupper's  express 
urgency,  telegraphed  that  ke  is  not  to  come,  but  a  Sister  or 
Cousin  may  do  so.  When  any  one  comes — if  indeed  poor 
Tupper  does  not  die  before,  which  I  fear  is  the  more  probable 
issue — I  shall  be  free  to  return  to  London  :  till  then,  of 
course  not.  .  .  .  The  kind  attentions  and  co-operation  of 
Hunt,  and  of  Theodoric  and  his  Wife,  exceed  my  powers  of 
description,  and  are  of  course  a  great  relief  to  me.  .  .  . 

I  know  you  will  all  feel  for  poor  Tupper  and  his  family, 
and  also  for  me.  But  believe  me  that,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
apart  from  the  distress  of  Tupper's  imminent  danger  and 
miserable  sufferings,  I  am  as  well  and  strong  as  ever  I  was 
in  my  life;  and  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  I  shall  so  con- 


436 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


tinue  up  to  the  time  when  I  see  you  again  after  a  journey 
that  seemed  to  promise  great  gratification,  but  which  now 
threatens  to  end  in  a  calamity  such  as  one  remembers  for 
life. 

Theodoric  has  a  bad  opinion  of  the  case :  and  especially 
fears  that,  even  if  the  tetanic  attack  is  conquered,  some  second 
illness,  such  as  miliary  fever,  will  supervene,  and  offer  no 
chance  of  recovery.  The  two  Doctors  also,  Duffy  and  Burci 
(who  was  called  in  for  a  consultation,  and  quite  confirms 
Duffy's  treatment),  are  very  grave,  though  they  distinctly 
assert  the  case  is  not  beyond  hope.  We  have  now  engaged 
a  nurse,  who  will  be  here  continuously  from  yesterday  even- 
ing. .  .  . — Your  most  affectionate 

William. 


228. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Professor  Norton. 

[I  have  cut  out  from  this  letter  a  passage  regarding  my 
Brother's  design  of  Hamlet  and  Ophelia^  as  that  passage  has 
been  used  by  my  Daughter  Helen  in  her  Art -Journal  Easter 
Annual^  1902,  on  Dante  Rossetti.'] 

16  Cheyne  Walk. 
23  April  1869. 

My  dear  Norton, — I  send  you  herewith  some  photos — 
chiefly  from  uncoloured  drawings.  The  Cassandra  subject  I 
hope  one  day  to  paint.  I  mean  her  to  be  prophesying  the 
death  of  Hector  before  his  last  battle.  He  will  not  be  deterred 
from  going,  and  rushes  at  last  down  the  steps,  giving  an  order 
across  her  noise  to  the  Captain  in  charge  of  the  soldiers  who 
are  going  round  the  ramparts  on  their  way  to  battle.  Cas- 
sandra tears  her  garments  in  rage  and  despair.  Helen  is  arm- 
ing Paris  in  a  leisurely  way,  and  he  is  amused  at  the  gradual 
rage  she  is  getting  into  at  what  Cassandra  says  of  her.  Other 
figures  are  Andromache  with  Hector's  child,  the  Nurse, 
Priam  and  Hecuba,  and  one  of  the  Brothers  who  is  expostula- 
ting with  Cassandra.  Hector's  companions  have  got  down 
the  steps  before  him,  and  are  beckoning  him  to  follow.  .  .  . 


SMITH,  ELDER,  &  CO.,  1869 


437 


I  have  photos  of  two  sketches  by  my  Wife ;  Pippa, 
and  another  ;  which  I  send  you,  as  you  will,  I  am  sure, 
enjoy  their  poetic  character.  Also  two  or  three  of  my 
sketches  of  her.  I  have  had  all  her  scraps  and  scrawls  in 
ink  photographed.  After  your  kind  letter  about  the  Clerk 
Saunders^  I  hardly  feel  justified  in  accepting  the  generous 
way  in  which  you  meet  my  wish.  It  seems  shameful  to 
be  depriving  Mrs  Norton  and  yourself  of  what  is  yours,  and 
so  much  enjoyed  by  you.  In  any  case,  I  should  wish  to  be 
quite  sure  that  what  I  gave  you  in  exchange  would  satisfy 
you  equally.  Shall  I  do  the  proposed  drawing  of  Mrs 
Norton  ?  or  would  you  like  one  of  those  of  Mrs  Morris  ?  I 
would  take  care  to  give  you  your  choice  among  some  good 
ones.  Or  is  there  anything  else  you  would  prefer  my  doing 
for  you  ?  Small  work  I  have  given  up  for  the  present.  I 
shall  be  with  you  part  of  next  Thursday,  and  meanwhile 
and  ever  am — Sincerely  yours, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 

P.S. — I  could  give  you  perhaps,  to  make  up  the  measure, 
some  of  many  sketches  in  pencil  I  have,  if  worth  giving. 


229. — SiMiTii,  Elder,  &  Co.,  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

15  Waterloo  Place,  London. 
4  May  1869. 

Dear  Sir, — In  reply  to  the  enquiry  contained  in  your 
letter  of  the  2nd  instant,  addressed  to  Mr  Williams — we  beg 
to  say  that  we  have  sold  593  copies  of  your  Early  Italian 
Poets ^  and  we  have  64  copies  remaining  on  hand.  .  .  . 

We  are  happy  to  be  able  to  inform  you  that  the  result 
of  the  sales  of  the  work  up  to  31  December  is  i^io8.  lis.  8d., 
of  which  ;^ioo  has  been  placed  to  the  credit  of  Mr  Ruskin, 
leaving  a  balance  of  £Z.  i  is.  8d.  due  to  yourself ^ — We  remain, 
dear  Sir,  yours  faithfully, 

Smith,  Elder,  &  Co. 


438 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


230. — J.  W.  INCHBOLD  to  William  Rossettl 

Well  House,  Niton,  Isle  of  Wight. 
10  May  1869. 

Dear  Wm.  Rossetti, — There  is  a  picture  of  Venice  which 
all  our  friends  seem  to  like  at  27  Cavendish  Square,  Dr 
Radcliffe's.  ...  It  is  called  Poi^to  del  Mare ;  was  painted 
mainly  in  Venice,  from  my  gondola  at  the  Lido  in  the 
morning  when  the  fisher-boats  again  enter  the  Porto  to  their 
home.  Venice  herself  is  seen  foreshortened — Murano  and 
Torcello  to  the  extreme  right — hills  about  Verona  hinted  to 
the  extreme  left.  The  brilliant  sails,  almost  the  only  echo  of 
the  art  of  Titian  and  Tintoretto  now  left,  are  not,  as  you 
know,  exaggerated  in  colour  nor  character  of  emblems.  I 
have  meant  it  for  that  lazy  sort  of  a  morning,  not  unknown 
also  to  you,  when  the  hot  mist  at  horizon  hides  mostly  the 
distant  hills  of  sweet  Verona — excepting  only  those  over  the 
island  of  St  Helena,  the  garden  of  the  Duke  de  Chambord, 
the  antique  heir  of  France.  Such  the  material — which  many 
have  deemed  an  art-success.  I  have  tried  to  get  the  lazy 
swell  of  the  water  and  reflections,  and  that  peculiar  brilliancy 
of  Venice-nature,  without  thinking  of  Mr  Turner  or  Canaletto. 
But  your  praise  will  depend  upon  the  power  within  the 
picture  itself  to  touch  happily  your  ideal  of  right  art. 

It  is  a  companion-picture  to  the  one  hanging  in  the  Uni- 
versity College  Hospital,  and  painted  by  me  for  the  benefit  of 
the  poor  patients  there  (the  idea  originating  with  my  friend 
Dr  Reynolds) ;  and  was  executed  mainly  from  my  gondola 
in  the  lagoon  before  those  gardens  we  enjoyed  together  one 
sweet  summer  evening — gardens  too  the  gift,  and  only  gift 
worth  notice,  of  the  larger  Napoleon  to  your  own  Venice. 

The  picture  of  Stonehenge  from  the  East  is  also  there  (at 
27  Cavendish  Square) ;  and  may  be  interesting  to  some 
gentleman  who  wishes  to  see  it,  and  may  rely  on  the  courtesy 
of  the  Doctor.  It  is  (as  you  also,  I  believe,  know)  literal  as 
to  state  of  this  strange  weird  ruin  at  present.    I  have  tried 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


439 


to  secure  architectural  grandeur  and  natural  sublimity, 
especially  that  religiousness  by  the  introduction  of  the  sun 
setting  in  the  very  centre  of  the  altar-like  portal ;  whilst 
the  clouds  are  meant  to  suggest  what  is  at  once  fiery  and 
spiritual,  the  forms  being  (as  often  in  nature)  scarcely  draped 
in  cloudy  matter.  At  the  base  is  a  barrow  of  the  big  past 
about  which  the  everlasting  flowers  are  opening  seed-petals 
to  the  wind. 

It  is  not,  as  you  know,  very  easy  to  gain  success  perfect 
and  complete  in  a  picture  like  this,  painted  almost  entirely 
from  nature,  with  another  and  entirely  distinct  vision  before 
the  imagination,  and  perhaps  with  a  heart  somewhat  maimed 
and  broken  by  that  deadly  and  relentless  opposition  I  seem 
to  inspire  most  innocently  in  some  quarters.  .  .  . 

I  think  also,  if  your  Brother  will  be  kind  enough  to  send 
the  picture  of  Venice  which  was  at  Chelsea,  that  also  will  be 
visible ;  including  as  it  does  all  Venice  from  St  Helena  to 
the  Church  of  the  Redeemer  in  the  Giudecca.  .  .  . — Ever 
affectionately  yours, 

J.  W.  INCHBOLD. 


231. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Professor  Norton. 

[Mason,  here  mentioned,  was  the  distinguished  Painter  of 
landscapes  with  figures.] 

[16  Cheyne  Walk.] 
12  May  1869. 

My  dear  Norton, — I  am  very  sorry  to  have  been  baulked 
of  my  visit  to  you  last  night ;  but  just  after  dinner  Mason 
dropped  in,  who  comes  from  a  distance  and  is  very  delicate  ; 
so  I  could  not  send  him  adrift,  and  had  to  spend  the  evening 
with  him,  and  take  my  walk  in  his  company. 

I  wanted  to  speak  to  you  on  a  matter  which  W.  B.  Scott 
was  mentioning  to  me.  There  is  a  very  fine  portrait  of  Emer- 
son, by  his  late  Brother  David  Scott  (one  of  the  few  great 
painters  this  country  has  ever  produced),  which  has  been 


440 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


placed  in  the  hands  of  W.  J.  Linton  the  engraver,  now  in 
America,  with  a  view  to  sale.  I  believe  Scott  would  take  60 
or  70  guineas  for  it,  and  he  asked  me  whether  I  thought  you 
might  possibly  give  a  hint  of  any  probable  purchaser.  It  is 
a  life-size  half-length.  If  I  meet  you  once  again,  as  I  still 
hope,  before  your  leaving  London,  you  might  tell  me  if  any- 
thing occurs  to  you  on  the  point. 

To-day  is  my  forty-first  birthday ;  and,  with  most  good 
things  gone,  and  others  that  will  never  come  now,  it  is  some- 
thing to  know  of  old  friends  still  friendly,  even  though  one 
may  seldom  see  them  ;  and  to  say  with  how  much  true 
sympathy  I  am — Always  yours, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


232.— Madox  Brown  to  William  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  about  a  proposed  Art-Exhibition  speaks  for 
itself.  I  did  not  write  a  series  of  letters  such  as  Brown 
suggested.  There  may  have  been  various  reasons  (now  for- 
gotten by  me)  for  not  doing  it,  and  especially  this — that  I 
was  not  then  connected  with  any  journal  which  would  have 
been  a  fitting  medium  for  such  correspondence.] 

37  FiTZROY  Square. 
20  May  1869. 

My  dear  William, — In  reply  to  your  appeal  for  advice, 
I  hasten  to  give  it  as  my  decided  opinion  that  no  good  to 
Art  can  ever  come  of  Exhibitions  got  up  by  Committees 
so  utterly  untrustworthy  as  those  of  the  present  undertaking 
and  the  Dudley  Gallery.  Their  views  are  precisely  those 
of  the  Academicians — ojily  lozuer.  Some  cases  of  individual 
injustice  or  cruelty  may  no  doubt  be  set  right  in  the  present 
case;  but  what  good  to  Art  can  result  from  the  springing- 
up  of  one  more  of  these  numerous  in£diocre  bungling  Ex- 
hibitions? The  Oil-exhibition  of  the  Dudley  is  already  a 
disgrace. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


441 


The  only  thing  that  could  at  all  benefit  art  vvouid  be 
an  Exhibition  of  our  own,  which  is  impossible, — such  as  did 
not  come  off  at  the  Hogarth  eight  years  ago. 

/  think  the  only  good  now  that  could  be  done  would  be 
the  commencement  by  yourself,  should  such  be  possible,  of 
a  series  of  vigorous  letters  to  some  prominent  paper,  telling 
the  Academicians  in  strong  but  respectful  language  precisely 
what  is  now  required  of  them.  You  are  quite  equal  to  doing 
this  in  perfection,  but  I  should  be  delighted  to  aid  with  any 
ideas  on  the  subject  that  I  may  possess. 

Were  I  to  write  at  greater  length,  I  could  not  put  my 
views  more  distinctly  than  I  have  done.  Come  in  the  first 
evening  you  are  at  liberty ;  they  were  saying  here  only  on 
Sunday  that  we  never  see  you  now. — Sincerely  yours, 

Ford  Madox  B. 


233. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Frederick  Sandys. 

[This  letter  relates  to  the  untoward  difference  (already 
referred  to  in  my  Diary,  No.  210)  which  arose  between  Mr 
Sandys  the  Painter  and  my  Brother,  after  some  years  of  close 
companionship,  during  which  Mr  Sandys  was  for  several 
months  a  guest  resident  in  Rossetti's  house.  Rossetti  came 
after  a  while  to  think  that  his  friend  adopted,  though  not 
with  conscious  intention,  subjects  for  pictures,  and  to  some 
extent  methods  of  treatment,  which  had  been  already  schemed 
out  by  Rossetti  himself,  and  had  been  notified  among  his 
acquaintances  as  being  his.  Rossetti  wrote  a  friendly  letter 
on  the  subject  to  Sandys,  who  replied  with  two  somewhat 
indignant  letters  in  my  possession.  Next  comes  this  present 
letter — which  I  leave  to  speak  for  itself,  without  commenting 
on  all  the  details.  Some  years  afterwards — in  1880  or  earlier 
— Mr  Sandys  evinced  a  wish  to  re-knit  his  old  intimacy  with 
Rossetti,  who  responded  with  much  cordiality  ;  but  I  believe 
that,  owing  in  part  to  his  then  recluse  habits  of  life,  they  did 
not  actually  meet] 


442 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


[i6  Cheyne  Walk. 
1869 — ?  I  June.'] 

My  dear  Sandys, — Thanks  for  the  ;^50.  I  remember  your 
showing  me  your  memoranda  to  this  amount  after  our  return 
from  the  country  in  the  autumn  of  '66.  I  myself  have  kept 
no  accounts  at  any  time.  You  view  this  payment  as  the 
severance  of  a  last  tie  between  us ;  and  any  tie  of  this  kind  is 
so  unimportant  compared  to  those  which  you  spontaneously 
broke  through  in  your  former  letter  that  I  had  better  proceed 
at  once  to  reply  to  that ;  as  I  should  have  done  before  but  for 
the  very  painful  nature  of  such  reply. 

First  of  all,  I  must  say  that  I  did  not  even  dream  of  such 
a  result  being  called  for  by  my  first  letter  to  you ;  but  of  this 
you  are  the  best  judge,  according  to  the  scale  of  importance 
at  which  you  rate  that  letter  and  the  nature  of  our  previous 
unreserved  friendship.  I  myself  should  have  thought  it 
insincere  and  unworthy  not  to  speak  plainly  to  so  intimate  a 
friend  when  I  felt  a  difficulty  arising  between  us. 

As  to  the  Lucretia  design,  my  claim  was  based  mainly  on 
the  mirror  and  reflection  of  figures  in  the  background,  as 
combined  with  the  subject.  This  point,  according  to  the 
description  given  me  (and  since  on  inquiry  confirmed),  was 
identical  in  my  design  and  yours.  Without  that,  the  design, 
as  you  describe  it,  is  of  course  absolutely  yours,  and  not  mine 
in  the  least ;  and  I  trust  you  will  paint  it.  The  Helen  is 
surely  a  strong  case  of  resemblance  (the  position  of  the  figure 
being  the  only  difference)  ;  and,  as  to  the  Magdalene^  the 
moment  taken  by  me  was  taken  then  for  the  first  time  in  art, 
and  constituted  entirely  the  value  of  my  design. 

I  must  now  say  what  perhaps  I  did  not  sufficiently  dwell 
upon  in  my  last  note,  though  I  know  I  indicated  it,  i.e.^  that  I 
do  not  for  a  moment  suppose  you  to  have  adopted  these 
points  of  resemblance  with  clear  intention  from  my  work  ; 
but  I  cannot  doubt  (1  must  repeat,  to  be  sincere)  that  they 
dwelt  in  your  mind  from  having  seen  mine,  and  there  germin- 
ated in  a  new  form.  The  admirable  skill  with  which  you 
carry  out  all  your  work  is  such  that,  once  adopted  by  you  in 
the  shape  of  complete  pictures,  the  ideas  become  yours  to  all 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


443 


the  world,  and  I  could  never  venture  to  claim  them  again 
under  pain  of  ridicule.  That  your  memory  is  not  infallible 
(and  therefore  that  such  unconscious  adoption  is  not  impos- 
sible) is  proved  to  me  by  what  you  say  of  not  having  seen 
my  Lucretia  except  in  the  photograph.  I  remember  clearly 
showing  you  the  water-colour,  and  your  looking  at  it  for  some 
time,  just  about  a  year  ago,  when  I  repainted  the  figure  in  it. 

Again — do  you  remember  once  drawing  my  attention 
yourself  to  the  strong  resemblance  between  your  first 
woodcut-design  in  the  Cornhill  and  Tintoret's  St  George  and 
the  Dragon  ?  I  forget  whether  you  told  me  that  this  was 
intentional,  or  only  noticed  by  yourself  afterwards,  but  I 
suppose  the  latter. 

You  tell  me  of  my  having  once  claimed  two  subjects 
which  you  proposed  to  paint  —  Perdita  and  Merlin  and 
Nimue.  I  am  quite  certain  I  never  thought  at  all  of  paint- 
ing either  subject.  If,  as  I  suppose  from  what  you  tell  me, 
I  raised  any  claim  on  these  subjects,  it  must  have  been  on 
points  in  your  description  of  your  projected  designs — not 
as  to  the  subjects  themselves,  which  I  never  thought  of 
certainly.  I  very  dimly  recollect  anything  about  it,  but  can 
just  remember  receiving  the  letters  which  you  say  you 
wrote  me,  and  then  perceiving  the  misconception  ;  though, 
the  matter  being  uncomfortable,  I  explained  no  further. 

Thus  much  for  rejoinder  on  the  artistic  question.  You 
tell  me  that  four  or  five  friends,  being  consulted,  agree  with 
you.  I  assure  you  there  are  many  who  not  only  agree  with 
me,  but  have  often  suggested  these  questions  of  resemblance 
to  me  of  their  own  accord. 

Any  other  question  than  the  artistic  one  it  is  hardly  for 
me  to  entertain,  as  you  have  told  me  spontaneously  that 
you  "  resign  my  friendship."  I  myself  hold  that  friendship 
should  only  be  resigned  when  one  friend  can  prove  malice 
or  deception  against  another.  Of  the  first  of  these  I  know 
I  am  innocent ;  of  the  second  I  should  have  been  to  a 
certain  extent  guilty  if  I  had  held  my  tongue  as  soon  as  I 
felt  strongly  impelled  to  speak.  I  believe  myself  firmly  in 
the  sincerity  and  single-mindedness  of  your  friendship  for 


444 


ROSSETTl  PAPERS 


me  till  this  time,  and  even  in  all  you  say  of  your  pain  at 
the  termination  to  which  you  have  chosen  to  bring  it.  You 
say  that  you  believe  this  matters  little  to  mo ;  but  why  you 
say  so  I  cannot  conceive.  It  is  however  some  relief  to 
know  that  the  separation  which  you  make  between  us 
comes  at  a  moment  when,  to  my  joy,  great  success  and 
many  friends  await  you,  and  that  I  can  on  my  side  remain 
still — Affectionately  yours, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


234.— Dante  Rossetti  to  F'rederick  Sandys. 

16  Cheyne  Walk. 
5  June  1869. 

My  dear  Sandys, — I  have  made  no  "attempt  at  self- 
justification,"  for  none  was  needed.  I  said  to  you  originally 
what,  as  an  artist,  1  had  a  right  to  say,  however  its  un- 
pleasantness had  delayed  my  saying  it ;  and  I  did  this  after 
proving  amply  at  all  times  that,  as  a  friend,  I  was  beyond 
suspicion. 

As  for  giving  people's  names,  the  idea  is  absurd.  I  asked 
you  for  none  when  you  told  me  that  some  friends  took  your 
view  of  the  matter.  The  question  is  purely  one  of  artistic 
criticism,  whoever  raises  it ;  and  it  would  be  as  ridiculous  in 
me  as  in  you  to  make  it  personal  to  others. 

The  money-matter  I  hold  to  be  of  no  importance,  as  I 
showed  by  keeping  no  accounts.  As  you  send  this  again,  I 
merely  do  not  send  it  back.  .  .  . 

I  have  been  unwell ;  and  poor  Mike  Halliday's  sudden 
death  has  combined  with  other  things  to  make  me  very  sad 
for  a  while,  though  now  I  am  getting  round.  .  .  . — Yours, 

D.  G.  Rossetti. 


JOHN  TUPPER,  1869 


445 


235. — John  Tupper  to  William  Rossetti. 

[It  appears  that  Tupper  had  been  recommended  to  offer 
himself  as  a  candidate  for  the  Slade  Professorship  of  Fine 
Art  at  one  of  the  Universities:  the  observations  which  he 
makes  in  reply  were  based  upon  his  experience  as  Master  of 
Geometrical  Drawing  in  Rugby  School.  In  speaking  of 
"  Outis,"  he  refers  to  the  fancy-name  which  he  had  used  in 
publishing  a  book  {Hiatus^  or  The  Void  in  Modern  Education) 
wherein  some  of  the  same  considerations  are  raised.] 

Rugby. 
18  June  1869. 

Dear  William, —  .  .  .  And  so  you  have  sighted  land,  and 
the  Shelleian  labour  is  nearly  done.  After  breathing  so  long 
in  that  poetic  element,  you  will  come  out  of  it  like  a  swimmer 
all  atremble,  and  with  nerves  too  high-strung  to  readily 
adapt  themselves  to  a  thinner,  poorer,  and  less  heroic 
medium.  (It's  a  fact  that,  after  living  in  the  water  for  a  long 
time,  the  air  has  not  stuff  enough  in  it  to  counter-check  the 
enlarged  pulse  and  nerve-play  that  the  graver  element  has 
excited.)  .  .  . 

About  the  Professorship,  it  seems  better  on  the  whole 
that  things  be  left  to  the  run  of  luck.  The  'Varsities  will  no 
doubt  get  a  literatus,  tinctured  of  course  with  Art,  to  do  the 
work.  Nothing  can  come  of  nothing ;  and  the  Fine- Art 
Professorship  will  not  be  a  very  prosperous  and  fruitful 
innovation.  You'll  see,  it  will  be  talkee-talkee,  all  about 
principles  that  no  one  ever  disputes.  All  the  Drawing- 
Masters,  even,  would  agree  with  Outis  in  principles  of  art. 
No — a  man  must  give  the  whole  treasure  of  his  time  and 
strength  to  the  wrestling  with  God's  angels  (these  forms  of 
strength  and  beauty),  to  do  us  any  good  now  in  art.  But  it 
will  be  comment  upon  comment,  gloss  upon  gloss,  for  a  while 
longer.  Art-preaching  is  well ;  but,  without  practical  culture, 
discipline,  it  is  ill.  Here  is  the  result  of  my  experience 
(I  have  this  to  myself — it  is  my  little  bit  of  discovery).  The 


446 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


substance  (sub-stans)  of  all  poetry,  art,  etc.,  is  feeling,  emotion. 
That  is  the  first  and  only  healthy  state  of  art ;  and  comes  when 
all  the  co-oj'dinated  faculties  utter  their  speech  spontaneously, 
unconsciously,  automatically  (emotionally).  Next,  we  grow 
conscious  of  this  utterance  ;  the  emotion  is  "  cognized  "  ;  and 
an  emotion  thought  upon  is  an  intellection.  So  Art  becomes 
a  thing  of  the  mind,  and  not  a  felt  fact.  .  .  . — Good-bye. 

J.  L.  TUPPER. 


236. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

PONTE  VECCHIO  2. 

24  June  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  hear  that  Mr  Forster  has 
finished  his  Life  of  Landor.  .  .  .  He  promised  to  return  me 
the  papers  which  I  lent  him  long  ago.  .  .  .  They  were  about 
fifty  letters,  odes,  scraps,  conversations,  and  slips  out  of  news- 
papers. ...  I  found  the  other  day  half-a-dozen  more  scraps 
in  a  box ;  and  I  sent  them  to  Swinburne,  if  they  are  worth 
his  looking  over.  .  .  . — Ever  yours, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


237. — Dr  Garnett  to  William  Rossettl 

["  The  story  of  Shelley's  consultation  with  Basil  Montagu  " 
was  to  the  effect  that  Shelley,  after  separating  from  his  Wife 
Harriet,  and  forming  a  connection  with  Mary  Godwin,  had 
consulted  Montagu  as  to  whether  it  would  be  fitting  or  not  to 
invite  Harriet  to  house  with  Mary  and  himself] 

British  Museum. 
13  July  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  never  before  heard  the  story 
of  Shelley's  consultation  with  Basil  Montagu ;  but  it  is  quite 


DR  GARNETT,  1869 


447 


of  a  piece  with  all  I  know  of  his  conduct  at  the  time,  and  con- 
firms what  I  have  always  said,  that,  although  he  would  no 
longer  cohabit  with  Harriet,  he  had  no  idea  of  abandoning 
her.  I  thought  from  the  first  that  Hookham  was  probably 
Browning's  informant.  This  makes  it  nearly  a  moral  certainty 
that  the  letter  from  Harriet  referred  to  by  Swinburne  was 
written  about  the  beginning  of  July.  I  do  not  believe  that 
Shelley  was  insane  at  the  period,  but  I  dare  say  he  was  quite 
sufficiently  excited  for  Hookham  to  think  so.  You  may 
remember  a  remarkable  passage  in  Hogg,  near  the  end,  where 
he  speaks  of  certain  visions  or  hallucinations  which  Shelley 
had  on  a  walk  from  Bracknell  to  Horsham  about  the  begin- 
ning of  June,  and  therefore  before  the  date  of  these  trans- 
actions. 

I  leave  town  for  a  fortnight  on  Monday  ;  and,  having  much 
to  do  before  my  departure,  I  am  afraid  that  I  should  not  be 
able  to  annotate  your  MS.  just  now.  If  it  has  not  gone  to 
press  by  the  beginning  of  August,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to 
peruse  it  again.  ...  I  will  now  mention  one  important 
correction.  You  say  that  Godwin  and  his  Wife  readily 
aquiesced  in  Shelley's  connection  with  Mary.  On  the  con- 
trary, they  were  extremely  angry,  and,  upon  Shelley  and 
Mary's  return  from  the  Continent,  ignored  them  altogether. 
I  cannot  find  that  any  communication  took  place  until 
November  1815.  There  is  a  story  of  Godwin's  seeing  Shelley 
from  a  distance  in  the  Park  while  they  were  estranged,  and 
remarking  that  "  he  was  so  beautiful,  it  was  a  pity  he  should 
be  so  wicked  !  "  .  .  . 

I  am  glad  you  have  met  Miss  Blind.  She  is  a  very 
interesting  person,  and  has  the  keenest  sympathy  with 
imaginative  power,  wherever  manifested,  particularly  in 
Shelley,  Swinburne,  and  your  Brother.  I  hope  she  will  be 
able  to  do  some  good  with  Miss  Rumble,  and  that  the  lady's 
relics  may  prove  to  be  valuable.  I  have  seen  plenty  of  letters 
from  Emilia,  usually  beginning  "  Caro  fratello."  They  are 
very  interesting,  of  course  ;  but,  when  you  have  read  one,  you 
seem  to  have  read  them  all. — Yours  very  sincerely, 

R.  Garnett, 


448 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


238. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

PONTE  Vecchio  2. 
14  July  1869. 

My  dear  Friend, — Yours  of  the  6th  has  just  arrived,  and 
I  hasten  to  thank  you  for  it,  and  the  kind  compliment 
enclosed  from  your  Essay ;  which  I  esteem  a  high  honour, 
and  for  which  I  am  grateful.  .  .  . 

Pietrocola  made  me  acquainted  (photographically)  with 
all  your  family.  He  and  his  Wife  are  excellent  persons 
and  warm-hearted  souls.  He  has  the  greatest  affection  for 
the  memory  of  your  dear  Father,  whom  I  consider  one  of 
the  martyrs  of  science.  He  was  before  his  age,  as  most 
discoverers  have  been  in  former  times.  Now  it  is  different. 
Neither  Watt  nor  Morse,  both  of  whom  I  knew,  has  been 
collato  by  the  Inquisition,  like  Galileo  and  Machiavelli.  .  .  . 

Lord  Vernon  wanted  me  to  illustrate  his  Dante.  I  would 
not  attempt  it,  after  my  old  friend  and  master,  Flaxman ;  and 
I  proposed  monuments,  views,  portraits,  pictures,  etc.,  one 
before  every  canto,  and  a  vignette  at  the  end  of  each,  and 
about  twenty  for  the  introduction.  As  there  were  some 
cantos  where  no  monuments  are  mentioned,  I  proposed  a 
sort  of  panorama,  uniting  many  subjects,  as  the  old  painters 
did— 

1.  The  three  beasts,  Virgil,  the  Sciagurati,  and  Charon. 

2.  Limbo  and  the  Poets. 

3.  The  bufera  degli  amanti^^  Cerberus,  Plutus,  and  the 
Avari  and  Prodighi. 

4.  The  telegraph  and  Dite,  with  the  boat  of  Phlegyas. 

5.  The  city  of  Dite,  the  Minotaur,  the  hurato^  the  Centaurs, 
the  wood  of  Suicides,  the  burning  sand  and  shower  of  fire, 
Dante  on  the  margin  of  the  canal ; — 

and  so  on,  uniting  many  subjects  in  one  view  as  the  oldest 
masters  sometimes  did.  Some  of  my  drawings  were  after- 
wards spoiled  by  retouching  them  by  ignorant  artists  ;  and 

*  Whirlwind  of  the  Lovers. 


LUCY  BROWN  ROSSETTI,  1869 


449 


the  Zodiac  is  a  failure,  owing  to  the  ignorance  of  the  Editor, 
to  whom  Lord  Vernon  had  not  explained  it  before  his  death. 
I  will  tell  you  how  to  correct  it.  It  is  a  thing  of  my  own 
invention.  The  plates  are  marked  S.K.,  V.,  P.L.,  for  me, 
Lord  Vernon,  and  Paolo  Lasinio  the  engraver.  I  withdrew 
from  the  affair,  for  I  found  I  was  being  sacrificed  as  well  as 
tormented  by  the  caprices  of  my  Lord,  who  was  in  such  a  hurry 
to  publish  that  he  would  not  allow  the  engraver  to  finish 
properly,  and  yet  the  book  has  been  thirty  years  coming  out ! 
A  copy  has  been  sent  to  the  National  Library  in  a  shabby 
paper  cover,  uncut  when  I  saw  it.  I  don't  know  the  present 
Lord  Vernon.  .  .  . 

I  am  glad  you  have  secured  the  friendship  of  Trelawny. 
He  is  a  noble  fellow.  He  is  not  only  my  greatest  and  best 
friend,  but  the  best  friend  I  ever  heard  of,  and  he  has  great 
natural  talents.  The  more  you  know  him,  the  more  you  will 
like  him.  .  .  . 

I  saved  Rossini's  life  fifteen  years  ago — strychnine ! 

Salute  your  cousins  and  all  your  family  and  A.  C. 
S[winburne]. — With  sincere  affection,  yours  ever, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 

Browning  told  me  that  Landor  had  cut  Forster  (if  I 
understood  right),  but  that  L[andor]'s  family  had  given  him 
help  and  encouragement  to  write  his  Life.  I  never  saw 
F[orster] ;  but  it  was  to  please  Browning  and  commemorate 
L[andor]  that  I  sent  the  letters  etc.  to  B[rowning],  who  sent 
them  to  F[orster],  who  wrote  me  a  note  thanking  me  for  the 
loan  of  them.  .  .  . 


239. — Lucy  Brown  (Rossetti)  to  Madox  Brown. 

[1  give  this  scrap  as  affording  a  slight  glimpse  of  William 
Morris.  He  had  started  for  the  Continent  with  his  Wife,  and 
his  Sister-in-law  Miss  Burdon,  and  had  invited  Lucy  Brown 
to  join  in  the  trip.    Miss  Burdon  and  Miss  Brown,  having 

2  F 


450 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


reached  Cologne  through  Ghent  and  other  cities,  returned  to 
London  after  a  few  days — Mr  and  Mrs  Morris  proceeding 
further  on  their  way. — The  Rue  de  la  Cloche,  Calais,  contains 
the  house  in  which  Madox  Brown  was  born.] 

Hotel  Meurice,  Rue  de  Guise,  Calais. 
[19  July  1869.] 

My  dearest  Papa, — We  arrived  here,  where  we  are  likely 
to  remain  till  to-morrow,  as  Mrs  Morris  is  feeling  by  no  means 
well  after  the  journey.  .  .  .  The  heat  is  so  intense  it  is  almost 
unendurable.  I  am  writing  in  the  courtyard,  which  is  a  great 
improvement  on  the  house.  Mr  Morris  is  also  writing,  or 
attempting  to  write,  poetry ;  but  the  jabbering  of  about  a 
dozen  Frenchmen  is,  I  fancy,  disturbing  to  him  (as  I  find 
myself  inclined  to  write  some  of  their  remarks).  ...  I  was 
too  tired  to  go  to  the  Rue  de  la  Cloche  on  our  return.  I 
mean  to  go  there  this  evening,  however.  .  .  . — Your  very 
loving  child, 

Lucy. 

PS. — Mr  Morris  has  written  fifty  lines,  and  has  gone  for 
a  turn  in  the  town. 


24o.~Mathilde  Blind  to  William  Rossettl 

2  Winchester  Road,  Adelaide  Road. 
20  July  1869. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  was  highly  pleased  on  receiving 
your  version  of  the  Shelley  anecdote,  although  it  differs  in 
some  of  the  details  from  the  story  as  told  me  by  Miss  Rumble. 
As  I  wrote  it  down  on  the  evening  of  hearing  it,  as  soon  as  I 
reached  home,  I  believe  it  is,  at  any  rate,  a  correct  statement 
of  what  I  heard  myself  I  have  copied  it  out  for  you  exactly 
as  I  find  it  in  my  note-book.  You  will  see  that  it  is  there 
expressly  stated  that  the  story  belongs  to  the  time  when  the 
Gisbornes  were  in  England,  and  the  Shelleys  occupying  their 


MATHILDE  BLIND,  1869 


451 


house.  The  knife  was  a  pistol,  still  more  dangerous  a  weapon 
in  Shelley's  hand  ;  and  the  fact  of  the  woman  being  the  wife 
of  the  man  who  was  bullying  her  makes  Shelley's  rage  even 
more  natural.  The  story,  it  seems,  was  told  to  Miss  Rumble 
by  the  servants  themselves,  and  also  mentioned  by  Mrs 
Shelley  in  some  letter,  I  forget  to  whom.  Miss  Rumble  also 
spoke  to  me  of  Shelley's  and  Mrs  Gisborne's  belief  in  appari- 
tions, and  told  me  some  little  thing  connected  with  it,  which 
however  I  cannot  clearly  recollect.  I  think  that  Trelawny 
mentions  something  of  the  same  kind  in  his  Recollections 
referring  to  Shelley  and  Byron.  .  .  . 

Shelley  appears  to  me  as  a  unique  apparition  among  the 
great  poets  of  the  world.  He  is  our  "  bright  and  morning 
star"  among  the  stellar  splendours.  .  .  . — Very  faithfully 
yours, 

Mathilde  Blind. 

When  Shelley  was  staying  in  the  villa  of  the  Gisbornes 
during  their  absence  in  England,  a  most  droll  incident 
occurred,  which  Miss  Rumble  told  me.  It  appears  that  the 
servants  Giuseppe  and  Annunziata,  who  were  man  and  wife, 
had  been  left  behind  with  the  Shelleys.  One  evening  there 
had  sprung  up  a  thorough  conjugal  tempest;  and  Shelley, 
hearing  Giuseppe  abusing  his  Wife  very  savagely  and  also  ill- 
using  her,  rushed  upon  him  with  a  pistol,  shouting  "  I'll  shoot 
you,  I'll  shoot  you  !  "  The  startled  fellow  ran  for  his  very 
life,  Shelley  after  him  ;  till  the  former,  coming  to  a  shrubbery 
of  laurels,  managed  to  slip  under  them.  Shelley  in  his  eager- 
ness darting  past  him,  he  in  a  few  minutes  found  it  possible  to 
dodge  back  into  the  house  unperceived.  Shelley,  seeing  him 
no  more,  at  last  went  back  to  the  house ;  where,  to  his 
unutterable  surprise,  he  found  Giuseppe  and  Annunziata  sit- 
ting together  in  the  most  amicable  manner,  addressing  each 
other  as  "  Caro "  and  *'  Carissima."  "  But  were  you  not 
quarrelling  even  now  ? "  exclaimed  the  perplexed  poet. 
"Quarrelling?"  said  Giuseppe  with  mock  innocence.  "No, 
Signor,  we  never  quarrelled."  "  But  I  have  been  running 
after  you  in  order  to  shoot  you."    "  No,  Signor,  you  never 


452 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


ran  after  me,  for  I  have  been  sitting  here  for  the  last  hour  or 
more.  You  must  have  fancied  all  this."  And,  Giuseppe  and 
Annunziata  (who  had  both  been  considerably  frightened)  con- 
tinuing to  assure  him  that  they  had  had  no  quarrel,  and  Mary 
Shelley,  whom  they  had  let  into  the  secret,  saying  the  same, 
Shelley  was  at  last  utterly  mystified,  and  half  inclined  him- 
self to  believe  that  he  must  have  fancied  it. 

Miss  Rumble  also  told  me  that  Shelley,  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  using  a  little  warming-pot  (or  whatever  else  it  is 
with  which  it  is  customary  in  Italy  to  warm  the  hands  in 
winter),  one  day  went  running  about  the  house  screaming 
"  Fire,  fire  !  "  till  everybody  was  running  about  fairly  frightened 
to  see  where  it  could  be.  At  last  it  was  discovered  that 
Shelley's  own  jacket  had  caught  fire  from  the  thing  he  held 
in  his  hands. 

Unfortunately  I  could  recollect  but  one  sentence  from  the 
letters  of  Emilia  Viviani,  which  ran  as  follows  to  the  best  of 
my  knowledge.  She  compares  herself  to  the  flowers  of  the 
dawn,  who  have  all  the  freshness  of  the  dew  upon  them,  and 
whose  honey  has  been  robbed  as  yet  by  no  bee  ;  you  alone 
have  been  my  bee,  O  adorato  Sposo." 


241. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[By  the  old  lady  "  is  meant  Miss  Losh,  a  Cousin  of  Miss 
Boyd  of  Penkill  Castle.  Mr  Brown  did  not  avail  himself  of 
the  invitation  here  conveyed. — The  "  stables  "  spoken  of  in 
the  P.S.  were  those  proper  to  Rossetti's  house  in  Cheyne 
Walk.] 

Penkill  Castle,  near  Girvan,  Ayrshire. 
19  August  1869. 

Dear  Brown, — Here  I  am  since  yesterday,  having  spent 
one  day  on  the  road  with  the  old  lady.  Everything  is  as 
jolly  as  possible,  and  everybody  wants  yozi.  So  you  see  you 
must  come  instantly  on  receipt  of  this.  You  will  enjoy 
yourself  greatly,  and  even  profit  in  subject-matter  for  some- 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


453 


thing  to  a  certainty.  .  .  .  Change  carriages  at  Kilmarnock, 
and  go  on  at  once  to  Ayr.  Here  you  would  arrive  at  10.50, 
and  would  have  to  stay  there  till  3.32,  which  time  you  could 
occupy  in  grog  at  the  Tain  0' Shunter,  where  you  would  see 
T[am]  o'  S[hanter]'s  and  Souter  Johnny's  chairs  and 
drinking-horns.  .  .  . — Ever  yours, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 

P.S. — On  Monday  I  actually  got  possession  of  the  stables, 
and  broke  down  the  door  separating  them  from  the  garden. 
On  soberly  considering  them,  I  think  them  most  promising. 


242. — William  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti, 
Penkill  Castle. 

[In  my  Memoir  of  Dante  Rossetti  I  have  given  extracts 
from  letters  which  he  wrote  to  me  in  1869;  when,  having 
caused  a  large  proportion  of  his  poems  to  be  privately 
printed  (with  a  tolerably  clear  view  towards  early  publica- 
tion), he  sent  the  proofs  to  me,  inviting  comment  and 
revision.  Here  I  give  a  few  out  of  the  many  remarks  I 
made  in  response.  The  pagination  quoted  is  of  course  that 
of  t\iQ  private  printing,  and  does  not  apply  to  the  published 
volume.  Pages  16  and  18  belong  to  The  Burden  of  Nineveh. 
Mary  in  Summer  was  a  very  early  poem  (dating  perhaps  in 
1846)  which  has  not  been  published.  Placatd  Venere  is  a 
sonnet,  the  same  as  the  much-debated  Nuptial  Sleep.^ 

56  EusTON  Square. 
23  August  [1869]. 

Dear  Gabriel, — I  have  been  reading  your  poems  all  the 
evening  with  intense  pleasure :  they  are  (as  I  know  from  of 
old)  most  splendid,  and  ought  to  be  published  without  any 
not  seriously  motived  delay.  Some  of  the  old  ones,  like 
Staff  and  Scrip,  to  which  my  memory  was  entirely  faithful 
but  rather  blurred,  are  even  better  than  I   would  have 


454 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


affirmed.  ...  I  have  made  various,  but  not  many,  press- 
corrections,   not   needing   any   notification.  .  .  . 
Page  1 6.  Egyptian  mummies — 

Even  to  some 
Of  these  thou  wert  antiquity. 

This  statement,  literally  accepted,  is  no  doubt  true :  but 
you  know  Egyptian  civilization  and  art  are  far  olde}'  than 
Ninevite,  and  I  think  the  impression  from  your  passage  runs 
counter  to  this  fact. 
1 8.-^ 

Eldest  grown  of  earthly  queens. 

The  same  consideration  arises,  and  more  unevadeably. 

21.  Ave. — I  would  retain  this,  and  consider  your  note  a 
most  ample  saving-clause.  .  .  . 

65.  I  doubt  whether  the  effect  of  the  lo?tg  lines  in  this 
poem  is  quite  satisfactory  to  the  ear — as 

So  my  maiden,  so  my  modest  may. 

They  have  the  great  value  of  specializing  the  lyrical  rhythm 
— and,  if  you  advisedly  like  them,  you  are  probably  right.  .  .  . 

85.  Mary  in  Summer. — I  could  not  recoiiimend  its  omis- 
sion, but  can't  exactly  dissuade.    It  is  very  pretty. 

91.  I  am  sorry  to  perceive,  on  reading  this  Italian  poem 
with  a  strict  technical  view,  that  several  lines  are  decidedly 
un-Italian  in  metre.  Your  knowledge  of  the  fact  will  confirm 
mine — that  one  can't  in  Italian  go  on  the  merely  accentual 
plan  of  Christabel  etc.  etc.  :  every  foot  (barring  elision  of 
vowels)  must  be  two  syllables  and  no  more.  All  these  lines 
are  peccant  ones — 

E  piangendo  disse 

Dello  stanco  sole  [etc.]  .  .  . 

147.  The  Choice. — I  incline  to  the  admission  of  these 
sonnets. 

Care,  gold,  and  care — 

Is  this  rightly  printed  ?  I  think  the  drift  of  the  sonnet 
might  gain  if  you  could  make  the  speaker  jeer  against 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


455 


thought — any  serious  purpose  in  Hfe — as  well  as  money- 
making.  As  long  as  he  prefers  pleasure  to  that,  he  seems  to 
be  about  right — and  I  don't  suppose  you  mean  he  should 
so  seem  altogether. 

Put-in  Placatd  Venere  by  all  means — at  any  rate,  so  long 
as  the  collection  remains  private.  I  must  re-read  the  poem 
before  expressing  a  distinct  opinion  as  to  publication.  .  .  . — 
Your 

W.  M.  R. 

P.S. — P.  1 6.  I  also  rather  doubt  the  phrase  "  a  pilgrim" 
as  applied  to  these  Egyptians.  I  understand  it  to  mean  what 
we  should  call  "  an  art-pilgrim  " — a  tourist  with  an  archaeo- 
logical object.  I  suspect  these  mummies  were  innocent  of 
such  purposes — or  at  the  extreme  utmost  would  have  "  done  " 
Egypt.  Nineveh  is  very  distant,  and  alien  too.  If  it  is  a 
religious  pilgrim — as  a  consulter  of  the  Oracle  at  Delphi,  for 
instance — I  believe  it  is  equally  or  more  untenable. 

243. — William  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti, 
Penkill  Castle. 

[P.  157  relates  to  the  Sonnet  Retro  me  SatJiana ;  169  to 
that  upon  Giorgione's  picture  in  the  Louvre;  175  to  that  for 
Rossetti's  picture  The  Girlhood  of  Mary  Virgin  ;  199  etc.  to 
the  prose  tale  Hand  a7id  Soul,  The  Sonnet  The  Bullfinch 
was  published  under  a  different  name,  Beauty  and  the  Bird. — 
As  to  "  Miss  Losh's  architectural  works "  etc.  a  letter  from 
Dante  Rossetti  has  been  published  dated  21  August  1869.] 

56  EusTON  Square. 
24  August  [1869.] 

Dear  Gabriel, — I  have  just  finished  the  proofs. 
P.  157.  I  don't  quite  like 

Many  years,  many  months,  and  many  days. 
If  I  remember  right,  there  used  to  be  a  particular  number 


456 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


given,  which  I  think  better  in  effect,  though  perhaps  too 
mannered.    I'm  not  sure  but  that  I  should  prefer 

For  certain  years  and  certain  months  and  days.  .  .  . 

169. — 

Life  touching  lips  with  Immortality. 

A  very  fine  line :  but  I  almost  think  I  like  the  old  original 
one  best,  as  related  to  the  picture.  This  new  one  seems  to 
trench  a  little  too  much  on  the  ideal — which  is  not  to  me  at 
all  the  effect  of  the  picture,  but  only  poetry  by  way  of 
intensity,  or  one  might  say  saturation — and  the  old  line 
realized  that.  .  .  . 
175.— 

Unto  God's  will  she  brought  devout  respect. 

There  is  something  prosaic  in  this  line,  I  think.  I  am 
certain  it  has  tribulated  you  much,  and  probably  you  are 
not  yourself  satisfied  with  it. 

177.  Venus  Vertico7'dia. — I  think  this  title  has  been  dis- 
cussed with  you  before.  Lempriere  makes  a  very  startling 
statement :  "  Venus  was  also  surnamed  ....  Verticordia, 
because  she  could  turn  the  hearts  of  women  to  cultivate 
chastity."  If  this  is  at  all  correct,  it  is  clear  that  the  Verti- 
cordian  Venus  is,  technically,  just  the  contrary  sort  of  Venus 
from  the  one  you  contemplate — she  must  be  a  phase  of  Venus 
Urania. 

185.  The  Bullfinch. — I  would  put  it  in:  it  is  good,  and 
relieves  the  tension  of  the  collection.  I  don't  however  quite 
like  the  phrases  Brave  head  and  kind,"  and  "  I  felt  made 
strong." 

Placatd  Venere  should  go  in,  even  in  a  published  form. 
For  that  I  think  you  m\^\.  perhaps  reconsider  the  title,  which 
appears  to  me  a  nearer  approach  to  indecorum  than  anything 
in  the  sonnet  itself 

199.  Their  crucifixes  and  addolorate. 

I  will  not  answer  for  it,  but  this  sounds  to  me  rather 
anachronistic.  I  am  not  sure  that  you  would  find  any 
addolorata  at  these  early  dates,  and  am  pretty  confident  such 
a  treatment  is  not  characteristic  of  the  time.    The  Virgin  with 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


457 


seven  swords  stuck  through  her  heart,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing,  I  think  is  late ;  it  smacks  to  me  of  Jesuitism,  St 
Theresa,  etc.  .  .  . 

202,  207.  Church  of  San  Rocco  must  be  changed:  this 
Saint  was  not  yet  born — died  in  1322.  .  .  . 

Mamma  sent  Christina  your  letter  about  Miss  Losh's 
architectural  works  etc. ;  they  must  be  very  interesting,  and 
ought  to  be  properly  recorded  in  print  by  some  expert.  Love 
at  Penkill  from  your 

W.  M.  ROSSETTI. 


244.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[The  "  dreadful  grief "  of  Mr  Frederick  Craven  (who  in 
these  years  was  a  steady  purchaser  of  paintings  by  Brown 
and  by  Rossetti)  was  connected  with  a  carriage-accident :  I 
rather  think  a  Daughter  of  his  had  been  killed.] 

Penkill. 
26  August  1869. 

Dear  Brown, — Three  pleasant  people  are  desiring  you, 
and  you  really  must  make  up  your  mind  to  come.  All  the 
pleasures  of  this  place,  which  are  old  to  us,  will  be  new  to 
you,  and  that  will  renew  them  to  us  also.  So  here  is  one 
of  the  sympathetic  moments  of  life  awaiting  you,  and  you 
do  not  hurry  to  it. 

Tin  be  blowed  !  The  question  is  not  so  grave  as  to  be 
a  real  delay.  If  necessary,  of  course  I  can  send  what  is 
wanted  till  your  work  gets  done,  some  of  which  you  could 
very  well  do  here.  There  is  a  capital  studio.  Moreover, 
you  were  thinking  of  a  Nativity ;  and  a  spot  there  is  here 
is  the  very  background  you  want,  both  in  material  and 
lovely  simple  colour,  and  even  suggests  of  itself  the  com- 
position. 

I  suppose  I  shall  certainly  be  staying-on  a  fortnight 


458 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


from  to-day  ;  but  whether  longer,  or  how  much  longer,  I 
cannot  tell.  .  .  . 

My  news  from  Ems  leads  me  to  suppose  that  the 
second  Thursday  from  this  may  probably  bring  the  travellers 
back.  .  .  .  Janey  writes  that  she  is  not  worse  than  at  her 
last  writing,  when  the  news  was  very  hopeful ;  but  I  can 
see  by  the  tone  of  her  letter,  and  indeed  by  much  she  says 
plainly,  that  she  is  discouraged  at  the  slow  progress 
made.  .  .  . 

I  am  extremely  shocked  to  hear  of  poor  Craven's  dreadful 
grief,  and  must  write  him.  .  .  . 

Perhaps  William  may  have  shown  you  the  article  on  me 
in  TinsUys  Magazine  iov  September.  It  is  .  .  .  encouraging. 
After  twenty  years,  one  stranger  has  learned  that  one  exists. 
He  is  so  enthusiastic  about  our  old  friend  My  Sister's  Sleep 
that  I  shall  have,  I  suppose,  to  include  it  in  my  present  reprint ; 
.  .  .  because  such  commencement  of  publicity  would  be  likely 
to  lead  to  its  getting  reprinted  somehow  some  day,  and 
there  are  things  which  should  be  altered  in  it.  ...  I  gather 
that  next  month  William  will  be  proluded  upon. 

Scott  is  working  in  his  steady  though  leisurely  way. 
The  sketches  for  his  windows  at  Kensington  (I  don't  know 
if  you've  seen  them  up  there)  are  extremely  clever ;  and  he 
has  lately  done  three  or  four  Burns  illustrations  which  are 
really  most  beautiful  in  invention  and  high  feeling,  and 
altogether  I  think  much  the  best  he  has  done.  His  work 
on  Albert  Durer  is  affording  us  evening  readings,  and  must 
I  think  prove  a  success.  People  do  not  know  how  much 
in  the  way  of  autobiography  and  letters  exists  by  A[lbert] 
D[urer.]  .  .  . 

He  and  Miss  Boyd  send  united  love,  and  injunctions  to 
come  at  once.  The  weather  here  is  splendid — only  very 
hot  for  walking.  .  .  . — Your  affectionate 

D.  Gabriel  R. 


W.  D.  O'CONNOR,  1869 


459 


245._w.  U.  O'Connor  to  William  Rossettl 

Washington. 
28  August  1869. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  have  recently  hit  upon  a  new 
method  of  making  cast  steel  in  a  very  short  time  and  at  a 
very  low  price— an  invention,  as  you  may  imagine,  of  ex- 
treme value ;  and  my  complete  submersion  in  the  experi- 
ments at  the  foundry,  and  the  effort  to  put  the  enterprise 
on  a  commercial  footing,  as  well  as  my  other  engrossing 
occupation  in  official  (Light-house)  business,  must  be  my 
excuse  for  the  delay  in  answering  your  kind  and  welcome 
letter  of  July  13th,  which,  with  its  precious  enclosure,  duly 
reached  me,  as  also  did  your  note  of  the  8th  instant. 

I  will  not  ask  the  dear  lady's  name,  since  you  prefer  not 
to  be  questioned  about  it ;  but,  if  I  knew  it,  I  would  treasure 
it  in  my  heart  of  hearts.  ...  I  would  not  seem  high-flown  or 
extravagant  in  my  avowals,  but  it  is  only  the  simplest 
truth  to  say  that  I  read  these  extracts  with  the  deepest 
emotion.  .  .  .  Doubtless,  they  affected  me  as  they  could  not 
you.  For  I  am  a  daily  and  intimate  witness  of  the  multiform 
varieties  of  insult  and  outrage  showered  upon  our  poet — all 
that  can  show  the  littleness  and  baseness,  the  indescribable 
stupidity  and  malignity,  of  human  beings,  from  the  petty 
affronts  of  titmen  and  mannikins  on  the  pavement  to  the 
sweltered  venom  of  Lowell  in  the  dull  Review.  Living  in  the 
midst  of  all  this,  judge  of  my  indignation  and  dejection  ;  and 
judge  then  of  the  re-assurance,  the  comfort,  and  the  exaltation, 
such  words  as  your  friend's  must  afford  me.  ...  I  felt,  after 
reading  them,  as  one  who,  surrounded  by  a  vast  and  crowded 
amphitheatre,  tiers  upon  tiers  of  faces  wrinkled  with  derision  or 
puckered  with  hostility,  sees,  lonely  amidst  the  multitude,  a 
countenance  radiant  with  the  soul. 

It  would  be  idle  to  attempt  to  say  what  comes  to  me,  in 
the  brief  space  of  a  letter ;  but,  among  the  many  precious 
things  in  your  friend's  MS.,  I  must  treasure  her  perception  of 
the  organic  character  of  Leaves  of  Grass — its  mutuality  of 


460 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


relations,  sense  and  form  corresponsive,  like  body  and  spirit, 
and  her  apprehension  of  its  electrical  and  ample  grandeur.  .  .  . 
There  are,  besides,  many  sentences  which  have  a  divine 
eloquence.  Our  instincts  are  beautiful  facts  of  Nature,  as 
well  as  our  bodies."  ..."  Who  so  well  able  to  judge  wisely 
of  the  book  as  one  who,  having  been  a  happy  wife  and 
mother,  has  learned  to  accept  with  tenderness,  to  feel  a 
sacredness  in,  all  the  facts  of  nature?"  ..."  It  is  only  lovers 
and  poets  who  may  say  what  they  will : — the  lover  to  his  own  ; 
the  poet  to  all^  because  all  are  in  a  sense  his  own!'  These  lines 
are  themselves  poems.  ...  I  confess  to  brooding  upon  them 
with  as  much  amazement  as  thankfulness. 

I  could  not  see  Mr  Whitman  immediately,  so  sent  the 
packet  to  him,  and  did  not  meet  him  till  the  succeeding 
day.  He  said  little,  but  his  tone  and  manner  were  of  deep 
import.  He  read  the  extracts  several  times,  and  wished  to 
keep  them.  I  think  he  was  profoundly  moved,  and  for  days 
afterwards  it  seemed  to  me  that  his  Olympian  front  was 
surcharged  with  a  tender  pensiveness.  One  day  he  said, 
referring  to  the  packet,  that  he  "  often  felt  that  his  book  was 
mainly  written  for  great  wives  and  mothers,  and  its  purport 
would  be  best  apprehended  by  them."  This  is  the  most 
memorable  or  reportable  thing  I  heard  from  him. 

I  gave  him  your  messages,  and  he  bade  me  return  you 
his  kindest  remembrances. 

Receive  my  cordial  thanks  for  your  letter  and  the  ever- 
prized  enclosure.  You  could  not  have  given  me  a  gift  more 
beautiful.    I  am  as  one  endowed  with  a  branch  of  stars.  .  .  . 

Our  latest  sensation  is  Mrs  Stowe's  account  of  Byron.  A 
scandalous  and  shameful  apocalypse ;  without  even  the  merit 
of  novelty,  for  I  heard  it,  and  despised  it,  a  dozen  years  ago. 
One  would  fancy  Mrs  Stowe  demented  to  issue  this  old  foul 
romance,  without  one  scrap  of  evidence,  and  pregnable  on 
every  side.  Poor  Byron  !  ...  I  do  hope  the  English  reviews 
will  bring  Mrs  Stowe  to  her  senses.  Here,  the  condemnation 
is  universal  .  .  . — Faithfully  yours, 

W.  D.  O'Connor. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


461 


246. — William  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti, 
Penkill  Castle. 

[My  statement  as  to  some  degree  of  obscurity  in  Sister 
Helen  applied  to  the  poem  as  it  originally  stood — i.e.^  without 
its  present  opening  stanza;  Violet  or  the  Danseuse  is  a  novel 
first  published  towards  1840,  and  much  admired  by  Dante 
Rossetti :  he  wrote  to  Notes  and  Queries  enquiring  as  to  its 
authorship,  but  no  solution  was  forthcoming.  The  novel  is 
understood  to  be  the  work  of  a  lady  ;  some  names  have  been 
suggested,  but  not,  I  think,  with  any  final  certainty.] 

56  EusTON  Square. 
28  Aiigust\\Z6^\ 

Dear  Gabriel, — A  few  words  in  reply  to  yours  of 
Thursday. 

I  had  a  suspicion,  but  not  distinct  idea,  that  your  Italian 
versification  might  be  based  on  some  analogy  of  very  old 
poems.  Have  now  looked  (very  slightly  as  yet,  but  will  con- 
tinue, and  write  further  about  it)  into  some  old  Italian  poems. 
As  yet  I  find  no  confirmation  of  your  view  in  any  save  very  old 
poems  :  in  some  of  these  apparent — but  I  think  only  apparent 
— confirmation.    For  instance,  Odo  delle  Colonne,  1245  • 

Distretto  core  e  amoroso 

Gioioso  mi  fa  cantare, 
E  certo  s'io  son  pensoso 

Non  h.  da  maravigliare. 

My  own  belief  is  however  that  these  irregularities  are  not 
of  the  accentual-equivalent  class  of  yours,  but  reducible  to 
two  heads — non-elision  of  vowels,  and  rapid  transition  from 
iambic  to  trochaic  structure.    I  scan  thus: 

Distret/to  cor  e  i/moro/so 

Gi6io/s6  mi/  fa  can/tare, 
E  cer/to  s'l'/o  son/  pens6/so 

Non  e/  da  ma/rdvi/gliare. 

No  doubt  the  trochees  of  2  and  4  (particularly  2)  are  arbi- 


462 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


irary  trochees,  not  conformable  to  at  any  rate  modern 
accentuation :  still,  I  understand  them  to  be  theoretic 
trochees.    One  might  say  the  same  of  your  line, 

E  dis/se  ri/dendo  : 

but  I  don't  think  it  could  be  justified  at  the  present  day.  .  .  . 

Song  and  Music  I  would  retain.  .  .  . 

I  agree  with  Scotus  about  Sister  Helen :  have  always 
considered  it  an  exercise  to  one's  ingenuity  of  comprehen- 
sion, but  not  an  unfair  exercise.  I  really  can't  say  there 
is  anything  else  in  particular  I  think  in  need  of  making- 
out — though  I  think  it  true  various  of  the  poems  demand  a 
poetical  apprehension  to  seize  them  in  their  fullness.  I 
fancy  most  readers  will  be  abroad  at  the  opening  of  Nocturn^ 
but  will  gradually,  as  they  proceed,  guess  what  the  inform- 
ing idea  is.    I  wouldn't  be  disposed  to  elucidate.  .  .  . 

My  Sisters  Sleep  is,  to  my  thinking,  fully  good  enough 
to  go  in,  after  revision — and  your  present  reason  for  put- 
ting it  in  conclusive.  Christina  is  sending  you  a  transcript, 
and  will  no  doubt  read  the  proofs  of  the  poems  as  you 
suggest.  .  .  . — Your 

W.  M.  ROSSETTI. 

Your  question  about  Violet  or  the  Danseuse  is  at  last  in 
N\otes'\  and  Q\juries\  They  can  give  no  explanation :  only 
that  there  is  no  evidence  in  favour  of  Miss  Brougham,  nor 
(I  should  think  not)  of  Lytton,  who  it  seems  had  also 
been  started.  .  .  . 


247.— Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

["  Poor  Payne  "  was  the  Rev.  J.  Burnell  Payne,  who  had, 
more  or  less  definitely,  relinquished  clerical  duty,  and  taken 
up  with  fine-art  criticism  etc.] 


MADOX  BROWN,  1869 


463 


Penkill  Castle. 
[?  31  August  1869.] 

Dear  Brown, — Your  letter  is  too  calmly  brutal.  How- 
ever, I  trust,  before  you  get  this,  you  will  have  received 
our  despatches  sent  yesterday,  and  been  brought  to  reason. 
There  is  no  excuse  for  you  if  you  don't  come. 

I  am  very. much  grieved  to  hear  of  poor  Payne's  death. 
He  was  a  good  fellow,  a  good  friend,  and  a  man  of  true 
inclination  to  good  things  in  art  and  poetry.  It  is  singular 
how  these  rare  birds — whether  patrons  or  critics — get  picked 
off  one  by  one ;  while  no  man  ever  heard  of  the  putrid 
Academic  sty  being  prematurely  a  pig  the  worse  for  all  the 
epidemics  and  cattle-plagues  that  turn  up. 

Leys's  death  is  almost  as  unexpected.  However,  his 
work  is  done,  and  well  done.  When  I  saw  him  some  year 
and  a  half  ago,  I  should  never  have  thought  him  a  likely 
man  for  Death  to  tackle. 

Do  explain  yourself  by  return  of  post  about  Byron.  I 
know  of  nothing  bearing  on  the  subject,  and  am  most  excited 
to  hear.  If  anything  in  print  that  can  be  sent  easily,  please 
send  it.  .  .  . 

Weather  has  improved  here  as  to  coolness,  and  walking  is 
much  less  arduous.    Do  come. 

My  last  news  from  Ems  shows  very  gradual  progress,  but 
still  some,  I  suppose.  Miracles  are  evidently  not  to  be 
expected.  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  what  you  tell  me  of 
Emma's  improvement.  Love  to  her  and  all  yours. — Your 
affectionate 

D.  G.  R. 


248.— Madox  Brown  to  Lucy  Brown  (Rossetti), 
Shanklin. 

[The  portraits  which  Cathy  (Mrs  Hueffer)  proposed  to 
paint  were  in  fact  painted,  and  very  good  works  they  both 
are — the  likeness  of  Madox  Brown  a  valuable  one. — "The 


464 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Jacob"  means  Jacob  and  Joseph's  Coat  (the  Sons  of  Jacob 
showing  him  the  coat  of  many  colours  after  the  falsely  in- 
vented death  of  Joseph);  this  version  of  the  composition 
seems  to  be  the  smaller  oil-picture  which  was  bought  by  Mr 
Brockbank. — I  do  not  think  that  Oliver  Brown  ever  painted 
a  picture  of  Danae. — "Marie"  is  Mrs  Stillman  (then  Miss 
Spartali) :  Lucy  Brown  was  on  a  visit  to  her  and  her  parents. 
I  do  not  well  recollect  Mrs  Stillman's  "drawing  of  the  girls 
with  the  peacock,"  and  still  less  any  verses  which  Madox 
Brown  may  have  written  to  illustrate  that  work. — The  initials 
which  I  give — H.,  and  G.  H. — are  not  correct.] 

37  FiTZROY  Square. 
8  September  1869. 

Dearest  Lucy, —  .  .  .  Cathy  .  .  .  has  fixed,  for  her  winter- 
work,  to  paint  a  portrait  of  me,  and  a  picture  of  her  Ma  in  the 
black  and  flame-powdered  grenadine,  sitting  near  the  window 
in  the  drawing-room  at  needlework,  but  musing ;  it  looks 
most  lovely  in  nature,  so  I  hope  may  turn  out  well,  only  poor 
Mamma  will  have  a  dose  oj  it.  Nolly  is  just  finishing  the 
Jacob  for  me  ;  when  he  will  begin  his  winter-works,  Exercising 
(water-colour)  and  Danae  (oil).  I  am  still  at  The  Entomb- 
ment^ but  have  worked  a  little  at  Jacob.  I  have  also  tried  my 
hand  at  a  song,  to  suit  Marie's  drawing  of  the  girls  with  the 
peacock,  which  Morris  ought  to  have  written.  I  should  have 
sent  it  you,  but  cannot  satisfy  myself  with  it.  I  have  tried 
it  in  English,  and  in  French,  in  the  form  of  three  triolets ; 
and  I  think  I  shall  now  try  it  as  a  sonnet,  and  perhaps  send 
you  all  three.  .  .  . 

Rossetti  is  still  at  Penkill,  and  at  last  seems  to  have  left 
off  writing  me  elaborately  worked-out  itineraries  to  Penkill 
Castle,  followed  up  by  exhortations  not  to  be  a  sneak  but  to 
start  at  once.  The  Morrises  have  started  on  their  way 
back.  .  .  . 

We  called  on  the  H's — drearier  than  dreariness'  self,  but 
they  are  good  people.  G.  H.  is  there  ;  who  to  his  Brother  .  .  . 
is  in  brilliancy  what  he  is  in  brilliancy  to  the  rest  of  mankind. 
Occasion  led  me  to  remark  that  the  late  lamented  Leys  had 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


465 


a  large  nose,  which  imparted  a  stupid  look  to  the  rest  of  his 
countenance.  Emma  declares  the  two  Brothers  looked  at 
each  other  in  dismay.  .  .  . 

Tell  our  friend  Marie  that  she  must  think  of  her  designs 
for  next  season  ;  and,  if  it  is  my  fate  and  destiny  to  become 
a  persistent  bore,  then  I  must  become  one,  that's  all. 

One  of  Nolly's  efts  has  disappeared.  The  chameleon  (a 
much  more  important  affair)  also  disappeared  twice — the 
second  time  for  a  day  and  a  half ;  but  was  found  early  one 
morning  ascending  the  banisters,  and  Nolly  declares  his  joy 
at  meeting  him  was  touching — I  mean  the  chameleon's.  .  .  . 
— Your  ever  affectionate  Pa, 

Ford  Madox  B. 


249.— William  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti, 
Penkill  Castle. 

[The  proofs  of  Mr  Scott  belonged  to  his  book,  Albert  Durer, 
his  Life  and  Works. — My  "  Notice  of  Byron  "  was  the  Pre- 
fatory Notice  in  the  edition  of  Byron's  poems  in  the  series 
Moxons  Popular  Poets.  Whoever  told  me  that  Byron  was 
very  like  his  half-sister  Mrs  Leigh  must  have  been  mistaken. 
The  resemblance,  if  indeed  there  was  any,  was  slight  indeed.] 

56  EusTON  Square. 
12  September  [1869]. 

Dear  Gabriel, — Your  revised  proofs  reached  me  the  other 
day,  and  I  have  now  looked  them  through  so  far  (only)  as  to 
answer  the  points  hitherto  left  aside  in  your  letters. 

P.  24.— 

The  sea 
Sighed  further  off,  etc. 

The  present  lines  very  good,  and  I  assume  better  than  the 
old  ones,  though  I  don't  remember  these  last-named  with 
entire  clearness.  But  unfortunately  there  is  a  very  serious 
objection  which  I  had  not  reflected  about  before.  Nazareth 

2  G 


466 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


is  quite  inland^  about  equidistant  from  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  Lake  of  Tiberias  :  the  sea  could  no  more  be  heard  there 
than  in  London  or  Birmingham.  I  know  one  may  care  too 
much  for  objections  of  this  sort,  yet  I  think  the  local  mend- 
acity is  too  glaring.  ... 

5.  — 

Was  she  not  stepping  to  my  side 
Down  all  the  trembling  stair? 

I  prefer  trembling  to  tremulous — and  think  the  objection,  as 
connected  with  "  stepping,"  infinitesimal.  It  would  be  another 
matter  if  the  two  words  occupied  like  positions  in  the  verse. 

6.  — 

With  angels  in  strong  level  flight. 

I  suppose  this  should  on  the  whole  be  preferred  to  lapse.  Yet 
I  like  the  visual  impression  created  by  the  latter  word  a  good 
deal  the  better :  it  looks  like  sailing  through  the  air  without 
any  motion  of  the  wings  (as  one  often  sees  birds),  and  gives 
more  the  idea  of  serial  succession.  .  .  . 

8.  You  say  last  line  of  stanza  3  sounds  shortish.  I  don't 
perceive  it  at  all  as  regards  that  line. 

Wherein  Love  descries  his  goal : 

rather  as  regards 

And  the  funeral  goes  by — 

but  would  not  on  any  account  alter  this  last.  .  .  . 

7.  I  think  Noctu7'n  is  perceptibly  clearer  with  the  restored 
stanza  2,  which  contains  besides  some  very  fine  lines.  .  .  . 

39.  Sister  Helen  is  far  clearer  with  the  new  opening 
stanza  :  and  the  one  further  on  is  a  fine  one. 

Tell  Scotus  I  now  have  his  proofs  U  and  X,  and  retain 
them  unexamined  till  1  hear  further  from  him.  ■ 

What  do  you  and  he  think  of  the  Byron  affair — if  indeed 
you  have  had  an  opportunity  of  following  its  phases  ?  The 
question  is  a  practical  one  to  me,  as  I  must  make  some  modi- 
fication in  the  notice  of  Byron  I  wrote  lately.  At  first  I 
assumed  that  the  story  would  scarcely  bear  being  called  in 
question :  but  the  controversy  inclines  me  to  regard  it  as  yet 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


467 


open  to  a  good  deal  of  doubt  The  great  point  to  determine 
would  be  about  the  child  born  of  the  incest,  and  kept  by  Lady 
Byron  for  some  while,  as  affirmed  by  Mrs  Stowe  :  but  nobody 
elucidates  that.  The  first  thing  I  did  was  to  look  up  B[yron]'s 
poems  addressed  to  his  half-sister,  and  I  certainly  consider 
that  they  tell  very  strongly  against  the  story.  One  might 
explain  them  away  as  calculated  deception,  but  I  should 
hesitate  to  adopt  that  view.  .  .  . — Your 

W.  M.  ROSSETTI. 

By  the  way,  I  don't  at  all  agree  in  the  obloquy  lavished 
on  Mrs  Stowe. 

Do  you  remember  whether  it  is  said  that  Byron  was  very 
like  his  half-sister  ?  If  so  (some  one  of  no  authority  told  me 
the  other  day  that  so  it  was),  the  suggestion  that  there  was 
really  no  blood-relationship  between  the  two  vanishes.  Other- 
wise this  suggestion,  which  some  one  made  in  The  Times, 
deserves  some  consideration.  The  first  Mrs  Byron  was  a 
divorced  Lady  Carmarthen,  .  .  .  mother  of  Augusta ;  and, 
if  she  played  her  husband  Byron  false,  and  bore  Augusta  to 
another  man,  there  could  be  no  "  incest " — as  the  mothers  of 
the  poet  and  Augusta  were  two  different  women. 


250. — William  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossetti, 
Penkill  Castle. 

[My  reference  to  a  "  prose  synopsis  "  made  by  my  Brother 
applies  to  his  having  made  such  a  synopsis  of  an  intended 
poem.  The  Orchard-pit :  of  the  poem  itself  hardly  anything 
was  ever  written. — "  Emma "  (here  named)  was  not  Mrs 
Madox  Brown,  but  a  servant  of  my  Brother.] 

EusTON  Square. 
16  September  [1869]. 

Dear  Gabriel, —  ...  P.  7.  Love's  Nocturn. — Stanzas  i  and 
2,  as  now  altered  by  you,  are  decidedly  perspicuous,  and  I 


468 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


don't  think  more  needs  doing.  I  exactly  agree  with  you  as 
to  the  pros  and  cons  of  "  Dreamland " — pros  prevailing.  I 
think  it  considerably  better  that  the  poem  should  be  made  to 
express  an  actual  love,  rather  than  an  ideal  amatory  pro- 
clivity ;  and  I  think  also,  with  you,  that  there  is  next  to 
nothing  in  the  poem  to  force  the  latter  conception  on  the 
reader's  notice. 

9.  Stanza,  "  As  since  man  "  etc. — The  whole  image,  and 
especially  (as  verses)  lines  2  and  3,  are  so  good  that  I  think 
you  should  make  an  effort  to  adapt  rather  than  reject  this 
stanza.  .  .  . 

Mary's  Girlhood. — "This  is  that  blessed  Mary."  I  do 
think  the  repetition  of  phrase  in  the  Sibylla  sonnet  a  sound — 
not  a  very  grave — objection.  " 'Tis  of  that"  seems  to  me  too 
peculiar — too  much  of  the  P.R.B.  twang.  .  .  . 

Autumn  Idleness^  and  A  Match  with  the  Moon. — Both  very 
good.  The  latter  has  a  playful  quaintness,  but  nothing 
exceptionable. 

Card-Dealer  very  good  indeed  now. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  you  are  writing  so  much,  and  to  so  good 
a  result — and  interested  to  hear  of  your  "  prose  synopsis  "  plan. 
I  remember  Alfieri  gives  some  curious  details  about  the 
structural  system  of  composition  he  adopted,  and,  if  I  can 
find  the  passage  and  think  it  would  amuse  you,  will  send 
some  particulars  one  day. 

The  wombat,  whom  I  saw  yesterday,  is  the  greatest  lark 
you  can  imagine  :  possibly  the  best  of  wombats  I  have  seen. 
She  (for  I  believe  it  is  a  she)  is  but  little  past  babyhood,  and 
of  a  less  wiry  surface  than  the  adult  wombat :  very  familiar, 
following  one's  footsteps  about  the  room,  and  trotting  after 
one  if  one  quickens  pace — and  fond  of  nestling  up  into  any 
hollow  of  arms  or  legs,  and  nibbling  one's  trowsers,  etc. 
Wombat  can  by  exertion  and  rigour  be  made  to  sit  up  like 
a  man,  but  resists  to  the  utmost  of  her  force,  which  is  indeed 
considerable.  I  am  glad  to  perceive  that  Emma  is  very  fond 
of  her.  Wombat  scares  the  cat,  but  fraternizes  with  the 
rabbits.  Sighs  from  time  to  time,  but  emits  no  other  sound 
that  I  heard.  .  .  . 


WILLIAM  BELL  SCOTT,  1869 


469 


Now  for  the  Italian  poem.  .  .  .  Theodoric  .  .  .  spoke  to 
me  (as  he  puts  it  in  his  letter)  of  your  senarii.  It  did  not 
happen  to  us  to  pursue  the  subject  very  systematically  ;  but 
I  understood  him  to  imply  that  an  Italian  would  regard  the 
exceptional  feet  in  your  verses,  not  as  simple  laxities  of 
disyllabic  metre,  but  as  unauthorized  interpolations  of 
trisyllabic  metre.  ...  I  understood  Teodorico  to  regard  such 
lines  as  these — 

E  disse  ridendo — 
La  state  talora — 

as  consisting  simply  of  two  trisyllables  apiece — ^just  like  the 
confessedly  and  unalteringly  trisyllabic  metre  of  Papa's 
Salterio — senarii,  as  his  own  preface  terms  them — 

Qual'  alba  tranquilla, 

Che  lieto  orizzonte, 

Gia  dietro  a  quel  monte,  etc.  .  .  . 

— Your 

W.  M.  ROSSETTI. 


251. — WiLLiAiM  Bell  Scott  to  William  Rossetti. 

[The  poem  which  Mr  Scott  terms  The  Sea-Margin  must 
be  The  Sea-Liuiit  (or,  as  now  printed,  Sea-limits).  The  last 
two  lines  of  it,  in  the  privately  printed  sheets,  stand 
thus  : 

Last  utterly,  the  whole  sky  stands, 
Grey  and  not  known,  along  its  path. 

I  think  it  would  have  been  a  pity  if  my  Brother  had  cut-out 
these  lines.  He  did  not  do  so ;  but  he  added  to  the  poem 
two  stanzas  which  are  not  in  the  privately  printed  copy.] 

Penkill. 
I  October 

Dear  W.  M. — Spottiswoode  has  sent  me  a  revise  (one 
also  sent  to  you).  I  have  made  the  various  corrections  you 
pointed  out  as  necessary  in  your  last.  .  .  . 


470 


HOSSETTI  PAPERS 


Gabriel  writes  me  he  has  done  the  best  he  has  yet 
accomplished  in  the  Eden  Bower,  and  that  it  drove  Maria  and 
Christina  out  of  the  room.  .  .  . 

I  still  want  him  to  try  a  reconsideration  of  the  two  last 
lines  of  The  Sea-Margin.  He  tells  me  you  thought  them 
the  soul  of  the  verses.  This  may  be  true,  at  least  they  give 
the  necessary  completion  to  the  idea  ;  and  1  feel  that  their 
expression  is  also  in  harmony  with  the  sentiment.  Still, 
they  have  the  boy's  love  of  quaintness,  and  are  in  a  certain 
way  vapid.    He  would  not  write  so  now.  .  .  .  — Ever  yours, 

W.  B.  S. 


252. — Dr  Hake  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[This  must  be  the  first,  or  very  nearly  the  first,  letter 
written  to  Rossetti  by  Dr  Hake,  who  from  this  time  forward 
became  one  of  his  intimates.  It  was  as  far  back  as  1840  that 
Dr  Hake  had  published  a  strange  romance  named  Vates,  or 
the  PhilosopJiy  of  Madness:  my  Brother  read  it  (perhaps 
towards  1844),  and  was  struck  by  its  singular  qualities.  After 
some  few  years  he  wrote  endeavouring  to  trace  the  author  of 
Vates,  but  the  two  did  not  actually  meet  until  1869.] 

ROEHAMPTON. 

8  October  1869. 

My  dear  Sir, — Your  kind  letter  gives  me  so  much  pleasure 
and  encouragement,  I  find  it  impossible  to  express  myself  in 
any  other  way  than  by  explaining  to  you  what  just  cause  I 
have  of  gratitude.  You  will  understand  me  when  I  tell  you 
that  I  have  from  time  to  time  addressed  myself  to  publishers, 
and  to  some  few  literary  friends,  without  avail ;  and  that  your 
reception  of  me,  crowned  by  your  letter,  constitutes  the  first 
act  of  sympathy  that  my  endeavours  have  ever  called  forth. 
That  you  should  have  not  only  appreciated  my  writing  but 
have  avowed  it  so  generously  is  unique  in  the  history  of  my 
life,  and  is  an  exception  to  the  estimate  I  had  formed  of  the 


WILLIAM  BELL  SCOTT,  1869 


471 


literary  character.  When  you  spoke  to  me  so  feelingly,  as  to 
one  who  deserved  something  of  the  world,  I  felt  ashamed  ;  as 
one  might  feel  who  accepted  honour  that  he  had  not  earned. 
Let  me  end  this  explanation  by  saying  that  you  have  been 
the  means  of  restoring  me  to  my  confidence  in  human  nature. 

That  you  could  not  so  have  acted,  or  have  written  to  me 
as  you  have  done,  except  through  real  conviction,  I  know 
fully ;  and  yet  I  would  ask  you  to  let  the  whole  weight  of 
obligation  rest  with  me  alone,  so  sincere  is  the  pleasure  it 
yields  me. 

I  have  always  been  unwilling  to  believe  that  I  had  been 
working  outside  the  limits  of  human  sympathy,  having  been 
constantly  affected  by  whatever  was  great  in  another.  And, 
should  you  finally  be  confirmed  in  your  thought  that  a  unity 
pervades  our  views,  my  hope  is  that  I  may  enjoy  your  con- 
fidence, and  one  day  your  friendship  ;  and  that  we  may  look 
together  into  some  of  the  great  problems  of  nature  and  art. 
Your  translations  will  be  my  study  for  a  long  time  to  come  ; 
they  open  to  me  a  new  world  of  beauty,  and  I  perceive  how 
greatly  they  will  strengthen  me  in  some  things,  and  correct 
me  in  others. — I  am,  my  dear  Sir,  always  yours  sincerely, 

T.  G.  Hake. 


253. — William  Bell  Scott  to  William  Rossettl 

Penkill. 
II  October  [1869]. 

Dear  W. — On  reading  over  the  proof  again  after  the  post 
has  gone,  I  find  I  must  trouble  you  with  another  note 
preparatory  to  your  looking  at  the  revise. 

P.  iv.  .  .  . 

I  really  think  if  I  were  to  die  next  day  by  the  hangman, 
as  penalty  for  leaving  uncorrected  blunders,  I  should  infallibly 
go  to  the  scaffold. — Yours, 

W.  B.  Scott. 


472 


HOSSETTi  PAPEllS 


Dear  W. — I  open  this  again  to  say  something  about 
Gabriel's  MS.  book,  as  your  note  received  this  morning  does 
not  mention  it.  Sitting  here  by  ourselves,  a  subject  of  that 
kind  was  sure  to  be  canvassed  between  us  ;  but,  as  he  told 
me  how  nervous  he  was  about  what  his  own  family  might 
feel  about  the  measure  necessary  to  be  taken  to  recover  it,  he 
may  not  have  yet  broken  the  subject  to  you.  If  so,  I  ought 
not  to  have  done  so,  and  I  must  ask  you  to  keep  silence. 
There  was  evidently  a  great  deal  of  painful  feeling  to  over- 
come in  his  mind. 


254. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[16  Cheyne  Walk. 
14  October  1869.] 

Private, 

Dear  Brown, — I  have  seen  Graham  to-day,  and  I  hope  I 
have  made  it  all  right  about  Shields.  He  had  called  on 
S[hields]  the  other  day  in  Manchester,  but  he  was  from  home. 
He  talked  to  me  about  the  matter,  and  the  end  was  that  he 
said  he  would  write  at  once  and  fix  the  commission. 

I  went  to-day  to  see  those  MSS.  at  the  Doctor's,  and  I 
shall  be  able  to  have  them  in  a  few  days.  They  are  in  a  dis- 
appointing state.  The  things  I  have  already  seem  mostly 
perfect,  and  there  is  a  great  hole  right  through  all  the  leaves 
of  Jenny,  which  was  the  thing  I  most  wanted.  A  good  deal 
is  lost ;  but  I  have  no  doubt  the  things  as  they  are  will  enable 
me,  with  a  little  re-writing  and  a  good  memory  and  the 
rough  copies  I  have,  to  re-establish  the  whole  in  a  perfect 
state. — Your  affectionate 

Gabriel. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI,  1869 


255. — William  Rossetti  to  Dante  Rossettl 

Somerset  House. 
14  October  [1869]. 

Dear  Gabriel, — What  you  write  me  is  not  entirely  new  to 
me.  Scott,  writing  on  1 1  October,  and  supposing  no  doubt 
that  I  was  au  fait,  mentioned  the  fact :  then,  finding  reason 
to  doubt  my  privity,  he  wrote  again,  to  say  so  and  impose 
silence.    But  I  shall  and  should  be  silent  anyhow. 

My  frank  opinion  is  that  you  have  acted  right  on  both 
occasions.  Under  the  pressure  of  a  great  sorrow,  you  per- 
formed an  act  of  self-sacrifice  :  it  did  you  honour,  but  was 
clearly  a  work  of  supererogation.  You  have  not  retracted 
the  self-sacrifice,  for  it  has  taken  actual  effect  in  your  being 
bereaved  of  due  poetic  fame  these  seven  and  a  half  years 
past :  but  you  now  think — and  I  quite  agree  with  you — that 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  self-sacrifice  should  have  no 
term. 

There  was  no  reason  at  all  why  you  should  mention  the 
matter  to  me  beforehand  :  you  and  I  know  each  other  of  old, 
and  shall  continue  so  to  do  till  (or  perhaps  after)  one  of  us  is 
a  bogy. 

Did  Tebbs,  when  you  consulted  him  on  the  legal  compli- 
cation, tell  you  that  he  had  already  of  late  been  starting  the 
subject  to  me  ?  He  did  so  one  day  that  he  called  here  while 
you  were  at  Penkill  :  urging  that  the  book  ought  to  be 
recovered,  and  that  he  could  obtain  you  a  "  faculty  "  without 
your  personal  intervention  from  first  to  last :  and  I  promised 
him  that,  if  a  proper  opening  offered,  I  would  represent  it 
to  you.  .  .  . — Your 

W.  M.  R. 

How  Tebbs  had  heard  of  the  matter  I  can't  say :  but 
indeed  everybody  had  heard  of  it.  For  myself,  I  had  never 
broached  the  subject  to  living  soul.  .  .  . 


474 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


256. — Dr  Garnett  to  William  Rossettl 

British  Museum. 
1 5  October  1 869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Many  thanks  for  your  kind  letter.  I 
am  much  obHged  for  the  offer  of  a  photograph  of  Miss 
Curran's  portrait,  which  I  do  not  possess.  ...  By  the  way,  I 
find  by  a  memorandum  that  the  portrait  was  begun  on  7  May, 
the  day  after  the  affair  at  the  post-office.  This  shows 
that  Shelley  could  not  have  pursued  the  person  who  assaulted 
him.  .  .  . 

You  ought  to  see  Kirkpatrick  Sharpe's  volume  of  etchings, 
if  you  have  not  seen  it  already. 

The  reference  to  the  Relics  about  Leigh  Hunt  was  not 
intended  to  qualify  anything  you  had  said,  but  merely  to 
point  out  another  instance  of  Shelley's  generosity  to  him,  the 
more  remarkable  as  I  believe  that  Shelley  was  at  that  time 
thinking  very  seriously  about  regulating  his  affairs.  .  ,  . 

I  have  just  been  collating  what  Middleton  calls  the  Essay 
on  Prophecy  with  Spinoza's  Tractatus  Theologico-politicus ^  and 
I  find  it  really  is  a  translation  from  the  second  chapter  of  the 
latter.    I  do  not  know  who  first  made  the  discovery. 

The  Mr  Grove  referred  to  in  my  notes  is  the  Rev.  Charles 
Grove,  Shelley's  Cousin,  whom  I  once  met  at  Boscombe.  He 
was  a  very  nice  old  gentleman,  and  seemed  to  entertain  very 
kindly  feelings  towards  Shelley's  memory ;  but  was  no  authority 
for  anything  that  had  occurred  after  the  elopement  with 
Harriet  Westbrook.  He  insisted  much  on  the  strength  of 
Shelley's  attachment  to  his  own  Sister,  Harriet  Grove.  .  .  . — 
Yours  very  truly, 

Richard  Garnett. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


475 


257. — John  Tupper  to  William  Rossettl 

["  The  Baron "  was  a  family  nickname  bestowed  from  of 
old  upon  Alexander  Tupper,  the  writer's  younger  Brother. 
Two  works  which  John  Tupper  published  anonymously  are 
here  mentioned  :  The  True  Story  of  Mrs  Stowe,  and  Hiatus^ 
or  the  Void  in  Modern  Education. — I  preserve  here  the 
reference  to  some  translation  commenced  by  my  Sister,  but 
have  forgotten  all  details,  unless  the  matter  is  the  same  as 
that  referred  to  in  Nos.  124  and  130.] 

Rugby. 
15  October  1869. 

My  dear  William, — I  have  just  got  the  enclosed  note  from 
the  old  Baron.  It  contains  advice  of  his  touching  a  squib  I 
have  written  on  the  Byron  controversy.  .  .  .  Anyhow,  I  must 
do  the  thing  at  once  or  not  at  all.  .  .  . 

I  have  not  heard  from  Mrs  Sotheby  about  the  translation 
your  Sister  commenced.  I  hope  she  will  not  be  bored  with 
it  .  .  . 

I  have  not  yet  seen  your  review  of  Hiatus  (if  it  is  out  ?). 
Indeed,  I  have  only  seen  one  notice,  and  I  hear  there  have 
been  several.  .  .  . — Thine, 

J.  L.  Tupper. 


258. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

[16  Cheyne  Walk. 
1869—?  October?^ 

Dear  Brown, —  ...  I  got  those  papers  to-day  from  the 
Doctor.    They  are  a  sad  wreck.  .  .  . — Ever  yours, 

D.  G.  Rossettl 


476 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


259. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

20  The  Terrace,  Gunter  Grove. 
17  October  1869. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  ...  I  would  above  all  things 
avoid  entangling  myself  in  comparisons  of  this  poetry  with 
the  universally  accepted  masterpieces ;  for  it  is  really  so  new, 
so  entirely  different  in  kind  and  result,  that  I  do  not  think 
there  is  any  common  ground  to  base  a  comparison  upon. 
Here  the  Personality  is  all ;  there  it  is  nothing,  it  entirely 
escapes  you.  This  is  often  adduced  as  a  proof  of  Shakespear's 
many-sidedness  and  breadth  of  sympathy  ;  this  fact  of  his  own 
individuality  being  always  merged  in  that  of  his  creations. 
And,  with  Homer,  I  suppose  people  have  not  yet  done  disput- 
ing whether  Homer  is  one  man  at  all,  or  whether  the  works 
that  have  so  long  borne  his  name  were  not  collected  from 
many  sources.  But  Walt  Whitman  speaks  the  bare  truth 
when  he  says  of  his  book,  "  Who  touches  this  touches  a  man." 
And  I  cannot  but  think  that  this  one  single  fact  gives 
vitality  to  his  book  in  a  sense  that  Homer  and  Shakespear 
cannot  be  said  to  have  given  it  to  theirs,  and  that  the  com- 
parison I  have  used  between  grand  architecture  and  living 
product  of  nature  expresses  this  as  closely  and  faithfully  as  a 
simile  can.  Salisbury  Cathedral,  to  ordinary  eyes,  rouses 
more  admiration  and  wonder  than  a  tree  or  a  wayside  daisy 
— but  then  that  mysterious  fact  of  life,  and  of  being  the  con- 
taining source  of  an  infinite  succession  of  lives  !  Thus  it  is,  I 
think,  that  Whitman's  poems,  which  look  externally  so  far 
less  imposing  and  grandly  beautiful  than  Shakespear's,  will 
become  a  living  power  in  men  and  women  in  a  sense  that 
Shakespear's  cannot  for  a  moment  pretend  to  have  ever  been. 
They  will  make  men  not  only  write  poetry,  but  live  poetry. 
.  .  . — Yours  very  truly, 

Anne  Gilchrist. 


JAMES  THURSFIELD,  1869 


477 


260. — James  Thursfield  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Mr  Stanhope  here  mentioned  must  be  Mr  J.  R.  Spencer 
Stanhope,  the  Painter,  who  had  himself  borne  a  part  in  the 
pictorial  decoration  of  the  Union  Debating-hall.  Mr  Tebbs 
(who  has  been  previously  mentioned)  was  Mr  H.  Virtue 
Tebbs,  who,  to  the  regret  of  a  wide  circle  of  artistic  and 
other  friends,  died  in  1899. — The  passage  about  "Helen's 
Cup"  has  reference  to  Rossetti's  ballad  Troy  Town:  he  had 
wished  to  trace  the  classical  source  of  a  legend  concerning 
a  cup  dedicated  by  Helen  to  Aphrodite.] 

North  Grove,  Oxford. 
26  October  1869. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  have  been  asked  by  a  Committee  of 
the  Oxford  Union  Society  to  write  to  you  on  the  subject 
of  the  Frescoes  in  the  Debating-room  executed  some  years 
ago  by  yourself  and  your  friends.  You  will  doubtless  recol- 
lect that  your  own  contribution  to  the  series  was  left  un- 
finished ;  and  the  Committee  are  anxious  to  know  whether 
you  would  be  disposed  either  to  finish  it,  or  to  suggest  some 
method  of  covering  the  blank  space  in  the  middle  of  the 
picture.  It  has  been  suggested  to  us  by  Mr  Stanhope  that 
this  unsightly  blank  might  be  filled  (in  the  event  of  your 
not  being  disposed  to  complete  the  picture)  with  a  simple 
diaper ;  but  we  are  unwilling  to  entertain  this  or  any  other 
suggestion  until  we  have  ascertained  from  you  what  are 
your  own  wishes  on  the  subject.  Should  you  sanction  this 
plan,  you  will  confer  a  great  favour  on  us  if  you  will  kindly 
communicate  to  us  any  suggestions  you  may  feel  inclined 
to  make  as  to  the  design  or  colours  of  the  diaper  to  be 
used :  but  I  need  hardly  say  how  much  we  should  prefer 
that  the  fresco  should  be  finished  by  the  hand  of  him  who 
commenced  it. 

You  will  be  sorry  to  hear  that  several  of  the  other 
frescoes  are  already  beginning  to  show  signs  of  decay  :  we 


478 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


shall  be  greatly  obliged  if  you  can  make  any  suggestion 
for  their  more  efficient  preservation,  for  I  need  hardly  say 
how  anxious  we  are  to  preserve  them.  .  .  . 

I  sent  a  few  days  ago  to  our  common  friend  Tebbs  a 
note  on  the  subject  of  Helen's  Cup,  about  which  you  were 
seeking  information  when  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  at 
your  house  a  short  time  ago.  I  am  sorry  the  note  is  not 
more  complete  ;  but  I  cannot  trace  the  story  beyond  Pliny, 
nor  can  I  find  any  mention  of  the  subject  in  Greek  authors. 
The  commentators  on  Pliny  seem  one  and  all  to  have 
overlooked  the  passage. — I  am  faithfully  yours, 

James  R.  Thursfield. 


261.— Frederic  Shields  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

CoRNBROOK  Park  [Manchester]. 
29  October  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Last  week  I  had  a  note  from  dear 
Brown  in  which  he  told  me  that  you  were  not  painting, 
but  still  writing  or  correcting  poetry.  This  makes  me  fear 
that  your  stay  in  Ayrshire  has  done  you  no  good,  and  that 
in  some  way,  either  in  your  eyesight  or  otherwise,  you  are 
still  suffering  so  much  that  you  cannot  pursue  the  work 
you  love.  I  am  greatly  your  debtor  for  the  long,  full,  kind 
letter  you  wrote  to  me  while  there — as  well  as  for  your 
good  offices  with  Graham.  .  .  . 

How  sad  your  thoughtful  talks  with  W.  B.  Scott  upon 
all  that  poor  Craven's  affliction  suggested  must  have  been ! 
The  philosopher  is  as  blind  here  as  the  Christian,  and,  if 
he  be  not  both,  without  the  consolations  which  support  the 
latter.  I  have  seen  but  little  of  Mr  Scott,  and  that  at 
your  table ;  but  I  know  and  greatly  esteem  much  that  he 
has  done — especially  as  one  of  the  most  original  designers 
living,  whenever  he  likes  to  put  his  full  force  into  his 
work  ;  and  I  beg  through  you  to  return,  if  I  may,  my  love 
with  my  admiration,  in  answer  to  his  own  kind  message. 


FREDERIC  SHIELDS,  1869 


479 


I  wish  that  M[adox]  Brown  had  been  able  to  join  you 
as  you  expected.  He  is  too  much  closed  up  in-doors,  and 
a  blow  of  glen  air  would  have  done  him  great  good — as 
his  company  would  have  done  you  also.  He  was  like 
friend  and  father  to  me  in  London  during  my  last  visit. 

I  am  so  glad  that  you  have  been  doing  business  with 
Agnew  profitably  ;  for  these  frequent  illnesses  of  yours  will 
inevitably  bring  down  your  purse,  and  make  the  where- 
withal an  anxious  subject  in  spite  of  all  determination  to 
hold  up  bravely.  I  know  this  too  well  in  recent  experience  ; 
and  for  this  reason  as  well  as  for  others  I  cannot  consent 
to  accept  anything  from  you,  even  though  pressed  upon 
me  with  your  generous  importunity.  .  .  . 

The  writer  in  Tinsley  certainly  appreciates  your  work 
in  both  arts — and  I  was  on  the  whole  thankful  for  the 
article.  .  .  .  The  notice  of  your  Sister,  Miss  Christina  Ros- 
setti,  was  very  disappointing  ;  .  ,  .  stretched  out  to  its  re- 
quired length  by  pecking  at  slight  faults  in  her  poems. 
But  he  cannot  spoil  my  happiness  in  them,  which  is  as 
great,  from  some  of  her  devotional  pieces,  as  any  that 
poetry  has  ever  afforded  me.  After  this  the  Judgment  and 
the  Martyrs'  Song  are  not  easily  matchable  in  religious 
poetry.  As  I  sit  now  looking  over  her  last  volume  again, 
and  recalling  the  impressions  left  on  me  by  frequent  read- 
ings of  it,  it  appears  almost  invidious  to  select  from  these 
devotional  pieces.  The  Despised  and  Rejected  and  the  Dost 
Thou  not  Care  must  come  from  her  deepest  heart's  thoughts 
or  experiences — and  they  find  full-sounding  echo  in  my 
own  heart.  The  critic  is  deaf  to  all  this,  and  (so)  deaf  to 
what  is  best  in  your  Sister,  and  forces  the  sweetest  notes 
from  her.  .  .  . 

It  is  so  good  of  you  to  send  me  such  plain  and  elaborate 
instructions  about  the  three-chalk  method  on  grey  paper. 
The  opportunity  you  allowed  me  of  watching  you  at  work 
was  still  more  valuable  to  me,  and  I  think  as  a  conse- 
quence that  the  drawings  I  have  done  for  Graham  will 
turn  out  successfully.  .  .  . — Ever  affectionately  yours, 

Fredc.  J.  Shields. 


480 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


262. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossetti. 

Florence,  Ponte  Vecchio  2. 
30  October  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — Trelawny  might  write  a  good  book 
about  Byron,  but  perhaps  it  would  not  be  so  favourable  as 
what  he  knows  of  Shelley,  to  whom  he  was  much  more 
attached.  Byron's  temper  did  not  quite  suit  him,  he  was 
too  vain  and  capricious  ;  but  he  knew  the  value  of  Trelawny, 
and  his  sincerity  as  a  staunch  friend,  and  as  strong  in  mind 
as  he  was  in  body.  The  more  you  know  of  him,  the  more 
you  will  esteem  him.  .  .  . 

I  don't  know  much  of  Mrs  Stowe  or  Lady  Byron ;  but 
I  believe  they  were  both  of  them  priest-ridden  bigots  and 
tories,  the  latter  certainly.  .  .  . 

I  was  81  last  May.  ...  I  have  seen  Lord  Vernon's 
Dante  at  the  Magliabecchian.  .  .  .  The  prints  are  all  mixed 
higgledy-piggledy,  and  some  omitted,  perhaps  lost.  I  had 
designed  one  for  the  head  of  each  Canto,  and  a  vignette 
for  the  end  of  each,  with  thirty  for  the  preface.  One  thing 
Lord  Vernon  was  delighted  with — the  Zodiac.  It  should 
turn  round  the  globe,  which  is  fixed ;  instead  of  which,  it 
is  the  globe  which  is  made  to  turn  round,  contrary  to 
Dante's  opinion.    You  can  correct  it  in  your  copy.  .  .  . 

Is  Holman-Hunt  in  England?  and  his  brother-in-law 
the  sculptor,  who  seemed  to  me  a  hearty,  good,  sincere 
fellow — Woolner  ? 

I  hope  Trelawny  will  take  the  advice  of  his  publisher 
and  give  us  a  volume  of  anecdotes  of  Byron  and  many 
others.  He  has  seen  so  much  of  the  world  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  he  is  a  descriptive  philosopher  of  great  energy ; 
and  all  agree  that  he  is  a  just  man,  even  those  that  one 
would  not  expect. 

Write  soon  if  I  can  be  of  any  use. — Ever  yours  sincerely, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


JOHN  TUPPER,  1869 


481 


263.— John  Tupper  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  North  British  Review,  here  mentioned,  contained  a 
moderate-sized  notice  by  me  of  Mr  Tupper's  book,  Hiatus^ 
or  the  Void  in  Modern  Education. — I  forget  about  Ruskin's 
dictum  that  Leonardo  da  Vinci  was  "a  tenth-rate  painter": 
one  ought  to  look-up  the  passage  in  its  context.  I  presume 
that  Ruskin  was  referring  simply  or  principally  to  Da  Vinci's 
qualifications  in  the  technique  of  painting — his  attainment 
as  a  colourist  and  brushman :  if  so,  of  course  no  record  of 
his  cartoon,  the  Fight  for  the  Standard,  would  be  of  any 
relevance,  nor  yet  any  evidence  deducible  from  "  engravings 
and  reliefs."] 

Rugby. 
30  October  1869. 

My  dear  William, — There  is  a  remembrance  with  me 
that  you  purposed  sending  your  copy  of  The  North  British 
for  my  benefit.  Do  not,  if  you  please,  for  I  have  one  here 
on  the  table. 

I  like  your  article  very  much  indeed  ;  and  am  con- 
trasting, with  the  production  of  another  critic,  the  inherent 
evidence  which  your  short  criticism  bears  of  your  having 
fairly  read  the  book  you  treat  of. 

Yes,  I  was  too  conscious  that  "  the  eminently  emotional 
Mr  Ruskin "  started  or  championed  that  precious  theory  of 
Greek  insensibility  to  landscape-beauty  ;  and  I  was  con- 
scious while  I  wrote  that,  if  it  had  not  been  beside  my 
task  to  make  psychological  vivisections,  there  would  have 
been  found  no  better  subject  to  exhibit  the  want  of  co- 
ordination of  reason  and  emotion  than  Mr  R[uskin]  ;  more 
especially  if  a  healthy,  calm,  deliberative  rational  faculty 
should  have  to  be  co-ordinated  with  emotion  more  sympa- 
thetic with  the  higher  and  deeper  beauty  of  form  than  with 
the  (comparatively)  surface-beauty  of  colour  (which,  remem- 
ber, scares  and  excites  cattle  not  human). 

Ruskin  has  no  form-i2.Q.\x\\.y.    How  long  ago  is  it  that 

2  H 


482 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


he  told  you  he  did  not  "  understand  or  affect  sculpture "  ? 
I  remember  this  well,  because  it  seemed  a  little  surprising 
that  such  a  state  of  humanity  could  well  agree  with  art- 
criticism.  This  was  when  you  took  me  to  the  Working 
Men's  Col[lege],  and  in  answer  to  some  proposition  that 
Mr  R[uskin]  should  examine  some  sculptural  work  of  your 
friend's.  Co-ordination  seems  alien  from  Ruskin's  nature 
both  emotional  and  sciential.  .  .  .  He  is  pre-eminently  in- 
surgent, lawless,  autocratic,  in  art.  Whilst  the  many  engrav- 
ings and  reliefs  of  The  Last  Supper  and  The  Fight  for  the 
Standard  exist,  will  not  the  ages  laugh  at  the  critic  who 
thought  Da  Vinci  a  tenth-rate  painter?  .  .  .  Beauty  means 
law  and  obedience  to  law.  .  .  . 

Lastly,  do  we  not  call  those  we  love  most  "  Angels  "  and 
"  Goddesses "  ?  Does  this  show  that  our  wives  are  "  not 
intensely  sympathetic  objects  to"  us?  .  .  . — Yours  ever, 

J.  L.  TUPPER. 


264. — James  Thursfield  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

North  Grove,  Oxford. 
14  November  1869. 

My  dear  Sir, — The  Union  on  Thursday  passed  a  resolu- 
tion empowering  the  Fresco-Committee  "to  expend  a  sum 
not  exceeding  ;^ioo  on  the  completion  of  Mr  Rossetti's 
fresco."  We  are  now  therefore  in  a  position  to  ask  you  to 
make  the  arrangements  you  proposed.  .  .  .  Perhaps  I  may 
explain  that  our  request  that  you  would  name  the  sum 
necessary  to  be  expended  did  not  spring  from  any  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  Committee  to  engage  you  in  any 
responsibility,  or  to  draw  you  into  a  contract  with  the 
Society :  we  are  too  sensible  of  the  kindness  and  generosity 
with  which  you  have  placed  your  time  and  trouble  at  their 
disposal  to  think  of  anything  of  the  kind.  Our  only  wish 
was  to  obtain  on  competent  authority  an  estimate  which 
we  were  wholly  unable  to  form  for  ourselves.     The  selec- 


PONSONBY  LYONS,  1869 


483 


tion  of  the  artist  to  be  employed  will,  of  course,  rest  with 
you  :  it  will  be  for  us,  I  presume,  to  arrange  with  him  the 
remuneration  he  is  to  receive,  and  to  contract  with  him  for 
the  execution  of  the  work. — I  am  faithfully  yours, 

James  R.  Thursfield. 


265. — CoNTE  Giuseppe  Ricciardi  to  William  Rossetti 
— (  Translation). 

Naples. 
16  November  1869. 

My  dear  William, — Welcome  beyond  what  I  can  say 
did  I  find  your  valued  letter  of  the  loth  ;  and  especially 
so  for  the  adhesion  to  the  Anti-Council  signed  by  you  and 
Mr  S[winburne].  I  hope  to  be  able  to  have  it  printed  in 
the  English  paper  here,  The  Observer.  .  .  .  Would  you  believe 
it?  The  solitary  adhesion  which  has  come  to  me  from 
your  country  is  yours  and  Mr  S[winburne]'s ! — while  I  have 
had  hundreds  from  all  other  lands.  .  .  . — Always  your  most 
affectionate 

G.  Ricciardi. 


266.— By  PoNSONBY  Lyons— LiLiTH. 

[I  found  this  curious  writing  among  MSS.  left  by  my 
Brother.  It  stands  headed — "  Thurs.  18  Nov.  1869 — To  the 
Editor  of  The  Athenceum'' \  and  is  signed  and  addressed 
as  here  shown.  I  have  looked  into  The  Athenceum  for 
some  weeks  about  that  date,  but  have  not  found  there  any 
trace  of  such  a  paper.  I  do  not  recognize  the  name  of 
the  writer.  So  far  as  I  can  guess,  my  Brother,  having 
painted  a  picture  named  Lady  Lilith,  and  having  written 
the  ballad  of  Eden  Bower  which  also  concerns  this  legendary 
personage,  may  have  consulted  an  acquaintance  of  his  as 


484 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


to  the  particulars  of  the  Lilith  tradition  ;  and  this  person 
must  have  composed  the  present  writing,  and  been  minded 
to  get  it  printed  in  The  Athenceum.  It  seems  to  me  of 
sufficient  interest  to  be  preserved.] 

5  Royal  Avenue  Terrace,  Chelsea. 
1 8  November  1869. 

Lilith,  about  whom  you  ask  for  information,  was  evidently 
the  first  strong-minded  woman  and  the  original  advocate  of 
women's  rights.  At  present  she  is  a  queen  of  the  demons. 
When  King  Nebuchadnezzar,  as  we  are  told  in  the  Sepher  ben 
Sira,  enquired  why  so  many  children  died  before  the  eighth 
day,  and  why  it  is  proper  to  write  and  hang  up  on  their  rooms 
the  words  "  Sannoi  Sansennoi  Samangeloph,"  Ben  Sira  in 
reply  told  him  the  history  of  Lilith.  When  Adam  was 
created,  God  made  a  woman  also  out  of  the  earth,  for  it  is 
said,  "  Male  and  female  created  He  them  ; "  and,  when  He 
said  "  It  is  not  good  for  man  to  dwell  alone,"  he  brought  her 
to  Adam.  They  at  once  began  to  dispute.  Lilith  refused  to 
obey  Adam,  saying  they  were  both  quite  equal,  for  they  were 
made  from  the  same  earth ;  and  she  ended  this  jangling  by 
pronouncing  the  secret  name  of  God,  and  by  virtue  of  it  flew 
away  through  the  air.  Adam  prayed  to  God,  saying,  "  Lord 
of  the  world,  the  wife  whom  Thou  hast  given  me  has  flown 
away,  and  I  know  not  where  she  is."  God  sent  after  her  three 
angels,  Sannoi,  Sansennoi,  and  Samangeloph,  the  three  lords 
of  healing.  They  overtook  her  in  the  sea,  in  the  place  where 
the  Egyptians  were  afterwards  drowned.  It  was  very  stormy, 
and  they  threatened  to  drown  her.  She  said  :  "  Let  me  go, 
for  I  have  been  created  only  that  I  may  injure  infants ;  for  I 
have  power  over  boys  for  eight  days,  and  over  girls  for  twenty 
days."  The  angels  made  her  swear  by  the  name  of  the  living 
God  that,  wherever  she  found  them  or  their  names  or  like- 
nesses written  or  painted,  she  would  do  no  harm  to  the  infants ; 
and  they  told  her  that  her  punishment  should  be  that  one- 
hundred  of  her  sons  should  die  every  day.  This  is  the  reason 
that  one-hundred  of  the  devils  die  daily.  For  in  three  things, 
as  Moses  Nachmani  tells  us,  they  resemble  angels ;  they  have 


PONSONBY  LYONS,  1869 


485 


wings,  they  fly  about,  and  they  foretell  the  future ;  and  in 
three  things  they  resemble  men ;  they  eat  and  drink,  they 
propagate  their  race,  and  they  die.  Their  bodies,  being 
formed  of  two  elements,  fire  and  air  (though  not  from  all  four, 
like  men,  animals,  plants,  and  minerals),  are  capable  of  dis- 
solution. Hence  also  it  is  that  the  Jews,  especially  those  of 
Germany,  write  on  the  four  walls  of  the  room  in  which  a 
woman  is  confined,  "  Adam  Chava  chutz  Lilith " — that  is, 
"  Adam,  Eve, — Lilith  keep  away  "  : — "  Stulte  ptitantes"  says 
Wierus,  "  tale  dcBmonis  terriculammtum  et  injmda  ed  ratione 
arceri  posse  and,  on  the  inside  of  the  door,  the  names  of  the 
three  angels,  Sannoi,  Sansennoi,  and  Samangeloph.  The 
Husband  should  say  certain  prayers  for  three  days  ;  and  after 
three  days  cold  water  should  be  poured  round  the  bed,  with 
other  ceremonies.  And  amulets  are  hung  round  the  necks  of 
the  infants  to  keep  away  Lilith. 

According  to  another  account,  Lilith  remained  with  Adam 
until  Eve  was  brought  to  him.  She  then  fled  to  the  sea,  and 
was  preparing  to  destroy  the  world  when  she  was  called  away 
by  God. 

After  the  expulsion  from  Paradise,  during  the  130  years 
in  which  Adam  was  excommunicated  and  lived  apart  from 
Eve,  Lilith  lived  with  him  against  his  will,  and  brought  forth 
many  devils.  His  stature  had  then  been  reduced  to  100  ells  ; 
and  we  may  suppose  that  Lilith  treated  him  as  arbitrarily  as 
some  dwarfs  have  been  treated  by  their  tall  wives.  These 
devils,  according  to  the  book  Einek  Hainelek^  are  always 
troubled  and  sigh,  and  there  is  no  joy  among  them.  During 
this  130  years,  Adam,  according  to  the  Talmud  (Eruvin) 
became  the  father  of  the  spirits  (Rukin),  devils  (Shedim),  and 
Lilin  (or  female  devils).  Bartholoccius  objects  that  Adam 
and  Lilith  were  both  made  of  the  earth  :  "  Quo  modo  igitur  ex 
amborum  conjunctione  lernures  et  spirittls  gigni  potuerint?" 
But  the  book  Zohar  Kadash  supplies  a  very  simple  answer : 
Lilith  was  made  of  the  uncleanness  and  dregs  of  the  earth, 
and  not  from  flesh  like  Eve. 

Lilith  is  one  of  the  four  wives  of  Samael  (Satan)  who  are 
the  mothers  of  the  devils.     According  to  Talkut  Kadash, 


486 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Machalath,  another  of  his  wives,  has  487  troops  of  evil  angels 
under  her,  and  always  skips  and  dances.  Lilith  has  480,  and 
always  howls.  These  two  are  constantly  at  war,  except  on 
the  annual  day  of  atonement.  According  to  the  Talmud 
{Sabbothy  Eruvin,  Niddd)  Lilith  has  long  hair,  and  wings,  and 
leads  a  great  army  of  devils,  and  has  power  to  seize  whoever 
sleeps  alone  in  a  house.  Therefore  Rabbi  Chaninah  said,  "  It 
is  forbidden  to  sleep  alone  in  a  house."  According  to  Emek 
Hamelek,  Leviathan  the  bad  serpent  is  Samael,  and 
Leviathan  the  crooked  serpent  is  Lilith  ;  and,  when  infants 
laugh  without  any  apparent  cause,  Lilith  is  playing  with 
them,  that  she  may  please  them  and  take  them  away.  In 
this  case  you  should  strike  the  child  on  its  nose,  and  say  to 
Lilith,  "  Away,  thou  accursed,  thou  hast  no  abode  here." 

In  conclusion :  although  the  wise  are  agreed  that  devils 
can  appear  in  the  human  form,  and  therefore  you  should  not 
first  salute  any  one  you  may  meet  suddenly  in  a  dark  passage 
lest  he  may  be  a  devil,  yet  for  sake  of  poetical  and  picturesque 
feeling  I  grieve  to  be  obliged  to  record  in  your  valuable 
columns,  on  the  high  authority  of  the  book  Zohar,  that,  when 
devils  do  appear  to  men  in  the  human  form,  they  have  no 
hair  on  their  heads. — I  remain  yours  faithfully, 

PONSONBY  A.  Lyons. 


267.— William  Graham  to  Dante  Rossettl 

[Mr  Graham,  who  was  then  M.P.  for  Glasgow,  appears  to 
have  commissioned  ere  now  "  the  great  picture " — the 
Dante's  Dream  which  is  at  present  in  the  Walker  Art-Gallery, 
Liverpool  :  probably  the  work  had  not  as  yet  been  begun  on 
the  canvas.  He  now  commissions  two  water-colours :  a 
Pandora,  and  a  " Blue  Lady"  which  I  understand  to  be  the 
same  thing  as  The  Portrait  of  Mrs  Morris — viz.,  a  water- 
colour  duplicate  of  that  oil-picture  which  is  now  deposited  in 
the  National  British  Gallery.  A  third  water-colour,  a  duplicate 
from  the  Sibylla  Palmifera  belonging  to  Mr  George  Rae, 


WILLIAM  GRAHAM,  1869 


487 


seems  to  have  been  previously  agreed  upon :  also  "  the 
Nightingale  picture,"  comprising  a  portrait  of  William 
Graham  Junior.  This  is,  I  think,  the  picture  now  named 
Mariana,  from  Measure  for  Measure?^ 

Urrard,  Pitlochrie. 
[1869 — ?  November^ 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  have  your  note  of  yesterday,  and 
need  scarcely  say  I  do  wish  the  picture  Fotmd  to  be  mine.  I 
did  not  know  what  price  you  thought  of  charging  for  it  ;  but 
I  will  ask  you  to  put  £Zoo  on  it  instead  of  800  guineas,  as  I 
have  a  Scotchman's  dislike  to  the  latter  piece  de  inonnaie,  and 
I  think  my  patience  is  a  legitimate  claim  for  the  discount !  I 
shall  send  you  a  remittance  from  Glasgow,  where  I  am  going 
to-morrow  for  one  day  only. 

Do  however,  Hke  a  kind  friend,  have  a  little  compassion 
on  me,  and  try  and  let  me  have  something  soon.  Remember, 
except  the  crayon-drawings  I  have  never  had  a  single  bit  of 
Rossetti  to  put  upon  my  walls  ;  and,  besides  the  great  picture 
for  which  one  may  thankfully  wait  ever  so  longXXW  the  inspira- 
tion comes,  I  have  been  hoping  for  the  Palmifera  in  water- 
colour,  and  my  little  son  Willie  in  oil  ere  now  (once  called  the 
"  Nightingale  "  picture). 

Thanks  for  the  offer  of  the  Pandora  and  the  Po7^trait  of 
Mrs  Morris.  I  shall  be  very  pleased  if  you  will  let  me  have 
both,  if  within  my  reach  in  price.  350  guineas  is  what  you 
were  to  charge  me  for  the  Palmifera,  and  also  I  think  for  the 
Blue  Lady  when  you  first  proposed  to  do  it  in  water-colour 
for  me.  Of  course  I  shall  with  pleasure  make  you  what 
advance  you  care  to  have  on  these  also  ;  only  do,  like  a  good 
fellow,  let  me  have  my  reward  soon. — Ever,  with  kind  regards, 
yours  sincerely, 

W.  Graham. 


488 


ROSSETTi  PAPERS 


268.— Dante  Rossetti  to  William  Graham. 

[My  Brother  kept  a  copy  of  this  letter — as  he  did  with 
many  of  his  business-letters.  The  copy  is  imperfect,  closing 
in  the  middle  of  a  sentence.] 

[16  Cheyne  Walk.] 
29  November  1869. 

My  dear  Graham, — I  waited  to  answer  your  kind  letter 
till  I  could  acknowledge  the  remittance  which  you  proposed 
to  send  next  day  from  Glasgow.  As  I  have  not  yet  received 
this,  I  write  lest  by  possibility  it  should  have  miscarried. 

When  you  first  expressed  a  wish  to  have  the  Found  '^xqX.mx^^ 
I  named  800  guineas  as  its  price,  and  you  agreed  thereto,  I 
do  not  mention  this  because  I  hesitate  to  meet  the  wish  you 
express  in  the  matter,  after  all  your  friendly  conduct,  but 
merely  because  I  remember  mentioning  the  price  in  my  last 
as  "  agreed  on."  This,  you  will  perceive,  is  the  picture  of  all 
others  of  which  I  should  not,  under  ordinary  circumstances^ 
abate  the  price,  as  it  is  of  quite  an  exceptionally  popular  kind 
among  my  works ;  nor  should  I  indeed  have  asked  less  than 
1000  guineas  at  this  moment  of  any  one  but  yourself — not 
even  of  Agnew.  It  is  now  somewhat  larger  than  before,  as 
I  have  had  the  canvas  increased  to  give  more  space.  In  now 
engaging  it  to  you  for  ;^8oo,  copyright,  which  I  retain,  will 
doubtless  prove  of  value  one  day,  and  I  make  no  doubt  of 
selling  a  replica  to  great  advantage.  So  be  it  as  you  wish.  I 
knov/  how  well  you  deserve  the  best  I  can  give  you  at  the 
earliest  date,  and  shall  have  quite  as  great  pleasure  as  yourself 
in  seeing  that  I  am  fairly  represented  among  your  pictures 
that  you  love  and  live  with.  I  hope  this  may  be  the  case  ere 
long.  .  .  . 


WILLIAM  DAVIJES,  1869 


489 


269. — William  Graham  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

Edinburgh. 
I  December  [1869]. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  have  been  away  travelling,  and 
on  my  arrival  here  this  evening  find  your  kind  note 
of  29th.  .  .  . 

As  regards  the  Found,  I  can  only  say  thanks  very  much 
for  your  acquiescence  in  my  proposal  as  to  price.  Evidently 
however  I  was  very  stupidly  mistaken  in  not  having  remem- 
bered that  we  had  spoken  of  price  before  ;  and  I  could  not  of 
course  for  a  moment  think  of  availing  of  your  good  nature  to 
alter  what  had  been  once  settled.  It  must  therefore,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  remain  as  originally  intended ;  and  I  need 
not  say  I  have  no  doubt  of  its  being  well  worth  the  value  put 
upon  it.  .  .  . — Ever  yours  sincerely, 

W.  Graham. 


270. — William  Davies  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Of  my  Brother's  numerous  friends  and  acquaintances, 
few  entered  more  sensitively  into  his  feelings,  or  showed  a 
more  constant  wish  to  soothe  them  when  perturbed,  than 
Mr  Davies — who  must,  I  suppose,  have  been  introduced 
into  Rossetti's  studio  by  Mr  Smetham.  Mr  Davies  was  a 
writer  and  poet  of  various  graceful  gifts,  and  an  adept  at 
pen-and-ink  drawing  and  etching  on  a  small  scale :  his 
principal  published  work  was  The  Book  of  the  Tiber.  Some 
little  while  after  my  Brother's  death,  Mr  Davies  very  liber- 
ally presented  me  with  the  various  letters  which  the  former 
had  written  to  him,  bound  up  into  a  volume.  Mr  Davies 
himself,  having  for  years  been  something  of  an  invalid, 
died  towards  1897.] 


490 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


io6  Albion  Road,  Stoke  Newington. 
2  December  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  have  copied  you  out  two  Italian 
sonnets  of  Matteo  Frescobaldi  on  the  other  side,  which  I 
think  you  will  not  have  seen.  About  the  first  there  is  a 
beautiful  delicacy  and  simplicity,  which  gives  freshness  to 
a  sentiment  not  new.  The  second  seems  to  me  to  repre- 
sent a  class  of  composition — a  large  one — of  which  I  do 
not  recollect  to  have  seen  any  sample  in  your  book  of 
translations.  Stupidly  enough,  I  have  not  taken  any  note 
of  the  date  of  this  writer  ;  but  I  fancy  he  lies  within  your 
circle  or  impinging  upon  it.  .  .  . — Always  yours  faithfully 
and  truly, 

W.  Davies. 

I  think,  if  you  publish  a  second  edition  of  your  Italian 
Poets,  you  ought  to  give  at  least  one  of  the  parodies  on 
the  Months  of  Folgore  da  San  Gemignano,  by  Cene  della 
Chitarra.  There  is  one,  I  recollect  (given  I  think  in  Nan- 
nucci),  wishing  the  guests  old  women  instead  of  young, 
overdone  meats,  etc.,  which  struck  me  as  being  excessively 
funny — if  you  do  not  think  your  book  too  serious  for  such 
"  flouting." 

You  of  course  know  the  little  "diamond"  volume  of 
Cino  da  Pistoia  and  his  circle  published  by  Barbera  in 
Florence.  It  contains  some  exquisite  things,  some  of  which 
were  new  to  me. 


Sonetti  di  Matteo  Frescobaldi :  dalle  sue  Rime  raccolte 
da  Giosue  Carducci :  Pistoia,  1866.  .  .  . 
lo  veggo  il  tempo  della  primavera.  .  .  . 
Per  riposarsi  in  su  le  calde  piume.  .  .  . 

271.— Dante  Rossetti  to  William  Davies. 

[The  "  little  tale  "  which  Rossetti  sent  to  Mr  Davies  was 
Hand  and  Soul,  first  printed  in  The  Genn,  and  afterwards 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


491 


privately  reprinted. — The  "  lovely  sofa "  had  been  a  part 
of  Mr  Smetham's  household  property,  and  was  about  the 
only  article  of  a  noticeably  artistic  character  which  he  used. 
Finding  that  my  Brother,  then  ardent  in  collecting  furniture 
etc.,  particularly  admired  the  sofa,  he  munificently  presented 
it  to  him.  It  remained  with  Rossetti  up  to  his  death,  and 
was  sold  among  his  other  effects  in  July  1882.  In  the 
Sale-catalogue  it  was  entered  as — "  A  sofa  or  lounge  with 
cane  seat,  the  back  artistically  painted  in  figures  and  land- 
scapes, the  frame  of  the  painted-furniture  period ;  squab 
and  two  pillows,  upholstered  in  stamped  green  velvet :  a 
very  rare  and  valuable  specimen."  Mr  Locker-Lampson 
bought  this  sofa  for  ^^34.  13s.:  he  made  the  bidding  on  be- 
half of  some  other  person.] 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
3  December  1869. 

My  dear  Davies, — Many  thanks  for  the  two  Frescobaldi 
sonnets — the  first  very  pretty  indeed.  I  know  not  Matteo — 
query,  a  Brother  of  Dino  ?  They  seem  likely  to  belong  to 
that  time  certainly. 

I  am  not  acquainted  with  the  little  Cino  book  you  speak 
of,  and  should  like  to  see  it  some  day. 

I  considered  the  question  as  to  translating  Cene  della 
Chitarra's  chaff,  and  have  a  note  about  it :  but  it  seemed 
almost  impracticable,  as  his  sonnets  are  written  to  the  same 
rhymes  as  Folgore's,  and  this  could  hardly  have  been 
preserved. 

By  the  by,  if  you  look  again  at  my  book  you  will  find 
that  the  large  section  of  "  moral  injunction  "  poetry  is  pretty 
abundantly  represented  from  Guinicelli  and  others. 

I  was  interested  in  the  two  reviews  you  sent,  and  return 
The  Scotsman.  Certainly  with  such  recognition  your  book 
ought  to  have  been  at  least  a  tolerable  commercial  success. 
These  two  are  amusingly  contradictory  on  some  points,  as 
usual. 

I  send  you  with  this  a  little  tale  written  long  ago.  I  had 
included  it  among  the  poems  I  am  printing,  as  it  is  really 


m 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


more  a  sort  of  poem  than  anything  else :  but,  coming  to  the 
conclusion  after  all  that  it  looked  awkward  there,  I  had  a  few 
copies  struck  off  to  give  away.  I  send  one  for  Smetham  too 
when  you  see  him. 

Will  you  tell  him  that  the  lovely  sofa  he  gave  me  has  just 
come  home  from  the  restorer's,  with  every  pattern  made 
perfect  again,  and  the  tone  of  the  whole  most  exquisite.  It 
is  a  gem. — Ever  yours  sincerely, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


272.— W.  J.  Stillman  to  William  Rossettl 

Washington. 
17  December  1869. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  have  just  seen  Whitman — had  a 
ride  with  him  in  the  horse-car  up  Pennsylvania  Avenue  (if 
you  are  any  wiser  for  that),  and  a  long  talk  principally  about 
you,  whose  history  (as  far  as  I  know  it)  and  that  of  your 
family  I  gave  him.  He  is  employed  in  the  Attorney-General's 
Office,  and  seems  more  well-to-do  than  when  I  saw  him  before. 
He  is  certainly  a  man  of  remarkable  personal  qualities — full 
and  harmonious  life.  .  .  .  He  is  grey  as  a  badger — white,  I 
should  say.  .  .  . — Yours  affectionately, 

W.  J.  Stillman. 


273. — Dante  Rossetti — Nonsense  Verses. 

[I  here  give  twenty  specimens  of  the  "  Nonsense  Verses  " 
at  which  Dante  Rossetti  was  a  "  dab  hand  "  :  so  far  as  my 
knowledge  goes,  he  surpassed  all  his  competitors,  of  whom 
there  were  several.  A  passage  from  W.  B.  Scott's  Autobio- 
graphical Notes  may  as  well  be  extracted. — "  The  habit  of 
making  satirical  rhymes  like  these  like  some  of  Franz 
Hueffer's  writing,  just  quoted  by  Scott]  was  an  outcome  of 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


493 


the  appearance  of  Lear's  Book  of  Nonsense.  D.  G.  R.  began 
the  habit  with  us — the  difficulty  of  finding  a  rhyme  for  the 
name  being  often  the  sole  inducement.  Swinburne  assisted 
him,  and  all  of  us  ;  and  every  day  for  a  year  or  two  they  used 
to  fly  about.  The  dearest  friends  and  most  intimate  acquaint- 
ances came  in  for  the  severest  treatment  ;  but,  as  truth  was 
the  last  thing  intended  (though  sometimes  slyly  implied), 
nobody  minded."  The  present  specimens  are  all  that  I 
remember,  written  by  my  Brother  (allowing  for  one  other,  on 
Oliver  Brown,  which  appears  in  Mr  Ford  Hueffer's  book) ;  they 
are  certainly  a  mere  fraction  of  his  full  quota.  They  appear 
to  me  to  date  between  some  such  years  as  i860  and  1870: 
on  this  assumption  I  group  them  all  here  together  as  if  proper 
to  the  close  of  1869.  Nos.  i  to  6  and  8  to  12  were  written 
out  from  memory  by  my  Wife  at  a  comparatively  recent  time, 
say  1890,  and  are  I  think  very  nearly  correct.  No.  7  comes 
from  Mr  Harry  Quilter's  book  Preferences  in  Art  etc.  (1892). 
Nos.  13  and  14  are  supplied  by  my  own  recollection,  and  No. 
19  from  the  memory  of  one  of  my  daughters.  Nos.  15 
to  18,  and  No.  20,  are  given  in  Scott's  book,  and  I  have 
thought  it,  on  the  whole,  as  well  to  repeat  them  here.  Mr 
Scott's  memory  for  such  things  was  anything  but  accurate  :  I 
have  introduced  a  few  corrections.  It  is  certain,  for  instance, 
that  Rossetti  never  composed  such  a  miserably  metreless  line 
as  that  which  Scott  gives  as  the  last  line  of  No.  17 — 

"This  stubborn  donkey  called  Scotus," 

and  I  even  doubt  whether  the  diction  here  is  at  all  correct. 
I  have  some  suspicion  to  the  same  effect  with  regard  to  No. 
20 :  in  fact  I  have  altered  one  word.  In  No.  18  Scott's  book 
gives  the  meaningless  word  "  checkboard  "  instead  of  "  chess- 
board."— I  do  not  enter  into  further  particulars  in  relation  to 
any  of  these  Nonsense  Verses.  Several  people  will  under- 
stand who  are  the  persons  meant,  and  what  reason  (or  un- 
reason perchance)  there  was  for  referring  to  them  in  these 
burlesque  terms  :  as  regards  Nos.  5,  6,  and  7,  there  was  no 
reason.  Other  people,  who  have  no  insight  into  the  matter, 
can  afford  to  remain  unenlightened.    Let  me  add  that  I  don't 


494 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


know  of  any  Nonsense  Verses  regarding  myself :  that  there 
were  some  such  I  have  little  doubt] 

I. 

There  is  a  big  Artist  named  Val, 

The  roughs'  and  the  prize-fighters'  pal : 

The  mind  of  a  groom 

And  the  head  of  a  broom 
Were  Nature's  endowments  to  Val. 

2. 

There  is  a  dull  Painter  named  Wells 
Who  is  duller  than  any  one  else  : 

With  a  face  like  a  horse 

He  sits  by  you  and  snorts — 
Which  is  very  offensive  in  Wells. 

3- 

There's  an  infantine  Artist  named  Hughes — 
Him  and  his  the  R.A.'s  did  refuse  : 

At  length,  though,  among 

The  lot,  one  was  hung — 
But  it  was  himself  in  a  noose. 

4- 

There's  a  babyish  party  named  Burges 
Who  from  infancy  hardly  emerges  : 

If  you  had  not  been  told 

He's  disgracefully  old, 
You  would  offer  a  bull's-eye  to  Burges. 

5- 

There  is  a  young  person  named  Georgie 
Who  indulges  each  night  in  an  orgy  : 

Soda-water  and  brandy 

Are  always  kept  handy 
To  efface  the  effects  of  that  orgy. 

6. 

There  is  a  young  Artist  named  Jones 
Whose  conduct  no  genius  atones  : 

His  behaviour  in  life 

Is  a  pang  to  the  wife 
And  a  plague  to  the  neighbours  of  Jones. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1869 


7. 

There  is  a  young  Painter  called  Jones 
(A  cheer  here,  and  hisses,  and  groans) : 

The  state  of  his  mind 

Is  a  shame  to  mankind, 
But  a  matter  of  triumph  to  Jones. 

8. 

There's  a  Painter  of  Portraits  named  Chapman 
Who  in  vain  would  catch  woman  or  trap  man 

To  be  painted  life-size 

More  preposterous  guys 
Than  they  care  to  be  painted  by  Chapman. 

9- 

There's  a  combative  Artist  named  Whistler 
Who  is,  like  his  own  hog-hairs,  a  bristler  : 

A  tube  of  white  lead 

And  a  punch  on  the  head 
Offer  varied  attractions  to  Whistler. 

10. 

There's  a  publishing  party  named  Ellis 
Who's  addicted  to  poets  with  bellies  : 

He  has  at  least  two — 

One  in  fact,  one  in  view — 
And  God  knows  what  will  happen  to  Ellis. 

II. 

There's  a  Portuguese  person  named  Howell 

Who  lays-on  his  lies  with  a  trowel : 
Should  he  give-over  lying, 
'Twill  be  when  he's  done  dying, 

For  living  is  lying  with  Howell. 

12. 

There  is  a  mad  Artist  named  Inchbold 
With  whom  you  must  be  at  a  pinch  bold  : 

Or  else  you  may  score 

The  brass  plate  on  your  door 
With  the  name  of  J.  W.  Inchbold. 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


13. 

A  Historical  Painter  named  Brown 
Was  in  language  and  manners  a  clown  : 

At  epochs  of  victual 

Both  pudden  and  kittle 
Were  expressions  familiar  to  Brown. 

14. 

There  are  dealers  in  pictures  named  Agnew 
Whose  soft  soap  would  make  an  old  rag  new  : 

The  Father  of  Lies 

With  his  tail  to  his  eyes 
Cries—"  Go  it,  Tom  Agnew,  Bill  Agnew  !  " 

15. 

There's  a  solid  fat  German  called  Huffer, 
A  hypochondriacal  buffer  : 

To  declaim  Schopenhauer 

From  the  top  of  a  tower 
Is  the  highest  ambition  of  Huffer. 

16. 

There's  a  Scotch  correspondent  named  Scott 
Thinks  a  penny  for  postage  a  lot  : 

Books,  verses,  and  letters. 

Too  good  for  his  betters. 
Cannot  screw  out  an  answer  from  Scott. 

17. 

There's  a  foolish  old  Scotchman  called  Scotus, 
Most  justly  a  Pictor  Ignotus  : 

For  what  he  best  knew 

He  never  would  do, 
This  stubborn  [old]  donkey  called  Scotus. 

18. 

There's  the  Irishman  Arthur  O'Shaughnessy — 
On  the  chessboard  of  poets  a  pawn  is  he  : 

Though  bishop  or  king 

Would  be  rather  the  thing 
To  the  fancy  of  Arthur  O'Shaughnessy. 


ANNE  GILCHRIST,  1870 


497 


19. 

There  is  a  young  Artist  named  Knewstub, 
Who  for  personal  cleaning  will  use  tub  : 

But  in  matters  of  paint 

Not  the  holiest  Saint 
Was  ever  so  dirty  as  Knewstub. 

20. 

There  is  a  poor  sneak  called  Rossetti, 
As  a  painter  with  many  kicks  met  he — 

With  more  as  a  man — 

But  sometimes  he  ran, 
And  that  saved  the  rear  of  Rossetti. 


274. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossetti. 

I  January  1870. 

Will  you  please  tell  Mr  Whitman  that  he  could  not  have 
devised  for  me  a  more  welcome  pleasure  than  this  letter  of  his 
to  you  (now  mine,  thanks  to  you  and  him),  and  the  picture  ; 
and  that  I  feel  grateful  to  you  for  having  sent  the  extracts, 
since  they  have  been  a  comfort  to  him. 

I  should  like  also  to  take  this  opportunity  of  saying  (if 
you  think  I  may)  how  much  I  wish,  if  Mr  Whitman  see  no 
reason  against  it,  that  the  new  edition  should  be  issued  in  two 
volumes  ;  not  lettered  Vols.  I  and  II,  but  ist  Series  and  2nd 
Series,  so  that  they  could  be  priced  and  sold  separately  when 
so  desired.  This  simple  expedient  would,  I  think,  overcome 
a  serious  difficulty.  Those  who  are  not  able  to  receive  aright 
all  he  has  written  might  to  their  own  infinite  gain  have  what 
they  can  receive,  and  grow  by  means  of  that  food  to  be  capable 
of  the  whole  perhaps  :  while  Mr  Whitman  would  stand  as 
unflinchingly  as  hitherto  by  what  he  has  written,  I  know  I 
am  glad  that  your  Selections  were  put  into  my  hands  first,  so 
that  I  was  lifted  up  by  them  to  stand  firm  on  higher  ground 
than  I  had  ever  stood  on  before,  and  furnished  with  a  golden 
key  before  approaching  the  rest  of  the  poems. 

2  I 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


275. — William  Rossetti— Diary. 

1870.  Saturday,  i  January. — Saw  Gabriel's  racoon — a 
nice  and  healthy-looking  beast.  One  of  his  two  kangaroos  is 
just  dead.  .  .  . 

Sunday,  20  February. — Wrote  a  number  of  letters  to 
Shelley  correspondents  etc.  One  to  Moxon,  who  now  pro- 
poses to  omit  from  the  cheap  Poets  (at  least  for  the  present) 
Pope,  Thomson,  and  four  volumes  of  Selections.  .  .  . 

Monday,  21  February. — Christina  has  lately  been  discussing 
with  Macmillan  about  the  publication  of  a  volume  of  Nursery- 
rhymes  which  she  has  written,  and  the  republication  of  her 
two  old  volumes.  M[acmillan]'s  terms  are  obviously  meagre  : 
Gabriel  has  consulted  Ellis  about  it,  and  writes  this  morning 
that  E[llis]  offers  ^100  for  the  old  poems,  and  some  propor- 
tional sum  for  the  new — a  great  advance  on  M[acmillan]. 
This  has  determined  C[hristina]  to  transfer  the  publication  of 
her  books  from  M[acmillan],  and  no  doubt  to  E[llis]. 

Tuesday,  22  February. — Gabriel  called  in  Euston  Square. 
His  racoon,  which  had  been  lost  for  a  fortnight  or  more,  was 
lately  discovered  living  in  a  drawer  of  the  large  wardrobe 
which  stands  outside  the  studio-door :  he  was  in  excellent 
condition,  having  probably  made  a  practice  of  prowling  about 
the  house  at  night,  and  eating  up  any  broken  victuals.  The 
surviving  kangaroo,  a  female,  gives  promise  of  a  family.  Two 
wood-owls  were  lately  bought,  apparently  so  tame  that  any- 
thing could  be  done  with  them  :  but  one  of  them  has  now 
killed  the  other.  G[abriel]  showed  me  a  letter  he  lately 
received  from  Swinburne,  saying  that  V[ictor]  Hugo  has 
written  to  thank  him  for  the  vindication  by  S[winburne] 
(lately  published  in  the  Telegraph)  of  H[ugo]'s  accuracy 
regarding  the  peine  forte  et  dure,  in  L Homme  qui  Rit :  S[vvin- 
burnej's  article  has  been  translated  into  French.  H[ugo]  also 
lauds  S[winburne]'s  savage  sonnets  against  L[ouis]  Napoleon 
in  the  Fortnightly.  Gabriel  has  now  been  re-reading  Shelley 
a  good  deal — Prometheus  and  other  poems  ;  and  has  come  to 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1870 


499 


much  the  same  conclusion  which  I  have  expressed  time  out 
of  mind — that  Shelley  is  the  greatest  of  modern  English  poets. 
He  however  inclines  to  set  Byron  above  him.  Hitherto  he 
has  also  preferred  Coleridge,  Keats,  and  others.  It  is  no 
longer  ago  than  last  Christmas  day  that  he  and  I  had  a  long 
battle  over  Shelley  and  Keats. 

Wednesday^  23  February. — Visited  the  very  fine  Exhibition 
of  Old  Masters  at  the  R.A. :  met  there  Brown,  who  is  very 
unfavourably  impressed  with  the  Leslie  display — my  own 
feeling  being  the  other  way. — Stillman,  seeing  in  to-day's 
Daily  News  a  notice  (extremely  handsome  on  the  whole)  of 
my  Shelley^  proposes  to  write  (as  he  has  some  footing  on  that 
paper)  setting  in  a  clearer  and  more  favourable  light  one  or 
two  points  stated  to  my  disadvantage.  I  told  him  that  I 
should  of  course  regard  this  as  a  friendly  act,  but  don't 
personally  much  care  either  way.  The  chief  point  is  about 
Shelley's  separation  from  Harriet :  on  which  point  I  might 
myself  be  minded  to  uphold  the  authenticity  and  newness  of 
what  I  have  said,  were  it  not  that  to  do  this  would  be  to  run 
down  Shelley  pro  tanto. 

Thursday,  24  February. — The  Brother  of  Warington  Taylor 
(lately  deceased)  called  on  me  at  Somerset  House, — my 
functions  as  executor  to  Taylor's  will,  and  trustee  for  his  Wife, 
having  now  commenced.  .  .  . 

Monday^  28  February. — Called  on  Macmillan  to  talk  over 
Christina's  position  with  regard  to  him.  ...  It  is  pretty  clear 
that  he  would  be  ready  to  raise  his  offers  heretofore  made  to 
C[hristina].  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  2  March. — Presented  Macmillan  with  a  com- 
parative statement  of  the  offers  made  to  Christina  by  himself 
and  Ellis.  .  .  .  Mrs  Bodichon  offers  through  Stillman  to  place 
her  house  at  Robert's  Bridge,  Sussex,  with  studio,  at  Gabriel's 
disposal  for  a  while — or  at  Stillman's  own  disposal.  This 
seems  a  very  eligible  offer ;  as  G[abriel]  wants  to  get  out  of 
town  a  little,  with  a  view  to  health,  and  to  quiet  in  writing 
poetry.  I  began  reading  through,  for  press-corrections,  the 
new  proofs  of  his  volume.  S[tillman]  says  that  Mrs  B[odichon] 
has  no  definite  belief  in  or  opinion  about  the  existence  of  the 


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disembodied  soul.  Her  husband,  who  remains  in  Algeria,  is 
wholly  given  up  now  to  spiritualism — which  she  flouts. 

Thursday^  3  March. — Morris,  Jones,  Ellis,  and  others,  at 
Chelsea.  Saw  for  the  first  time  some  of  Goya's  etchings — 
Gabriel  having  purchased  a  volume.  Pollen  says  there  is  an 
astonishingly  fine  Japanese  painting  of  a  tiger,  about  life-size, 
at  South  Kensington  :  must  look  it  up.  Gabriel  is  doing  a 
crayon-head  of  Mrs  Zambaco,  very  good.  Jones  has  been,  to 
his  great  comfort,  incited  by  my  re-edition  to  the  re-reading 
of  Shelley.  .  .  . 

Saturday^  5  March.  .  .  . — Christina  has  about  finished  a 
longish  prose-story  named  Commonplace  (I  have  not  as  yet 
any  very  clear  notion  of  its  bearing)  :  this,  and  other  slighter 
stories  of  past  time,  she  proposes  to  put  together,  and  get 
published  by  Ellis — who  seems  quite  ready  to  accept 
them.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  g  March. —  ...  I  read  the  MS.  of  what  Maria 
is  writing  as  an  incitement  and  introduction  to  the  study  of 
Dante  by  English  people.  .  .  . 

Friday,  1 1  March. — Called  on  Trelawny  :  I  think  he  looks 
a  little  older  than  he  did  last  summer.  He  has  been  writing 
down  some  further  reminiscences  of  Shelley,  which  I  pressed 
him  to  publish.  This  he  seems  tolerably  well  inclined  to  do, 
but  objects  to  the  trouble  of  recopying.  I  offered  to  do  it  for 
him.  Miss  Clairmont  has  lately  been  writing  to  him  at  great 
length,  also  in  the  way  of  Shelley  reminiscences ;  and  it 
seems  that  Elise,  the  Swiss  maid  who  attended  to  Allegra,  is 
also  still  alive,  and  inclined  to  be  reminiscent.  T[relawny] 
says  he  feels  hurt  at  the  imputation  upon  Harriet's  moral 
character  contained  (repeated  from  other  writers)  in  my 
Memoir  :  it  seems  to  be  new  to  him,  but  I  can't  doubt  its 
truth.  He  insists  that  Shelley  would  have  separated  from 
Mary,  but  for  the  unhappy  result  to  Harriet :  says  M[ary] 
was  excessively  jealous  of  S[helley],  both  sexually  and  as 
regards  the  influence  of  other  women  over  his  mind.  But  he 
seems  to  think  (as  far  as  I  can  make  out)  that  the  sexual 
jealousy  was  baseless.  S[helley]  attempted  suicide  at  Naples  : 
had  also  done  so  in  London,  but  the  effects  of  the  poison  were 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1870 


501 


worked  off  by  walking  him  about  for  some  hours.  T[relawny] 
is  now  reading  with  extreme  delight  Hogg's  Life  of  S\helley\ 
(hitherto  unread  by  him),  and  considers  H[ogg]'s  view  of 
S[helley]  thoroughly  consistent  with  T[relawny]'s  own  experi- 
ence. "  Shelley  was  more  self-willed  than  myself :  "  with  ex- 
quisite gentleness  of  manner,  he  would  always  do,  and  do  on  the 
instant,  what  he  resolved  on.  I  am  to  dine  with  T[relawny] 
next  Tuesday,  and  may  perhaps  meet  Mrs  Hogg :  she  never 
professed  to  be  in  love  with  Hogg,  but  to  have  been  passion- 
ately in  love  with  Williams,  and  incapable  of  loving  any  one 
else.  "  I  have  kissed  the  shirt  off  his  back."  Williams  was 
decidedly  good-looking.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  13  March. — Wrote  to  Theodoric  on  various 
matters ;  partly  to  say  that,  if  any  effects  belonging  to 
Kirkup  should  in  course  of  time  be  disposed  of,  I  would  like 
him  to  secure  for  me  a  sofa-bedstead  which,  as  Trelawny  tells 
me,  was  bought  by  Shelley  at  Leghorn  for  Leigh  Hunt.  I 
am  not  clear  whether  this  is  the  sofa  that  K[irkup]  ordinarily 
sits  on,  or  some  other  sofa  in  his  house.* 

Monday,  March, —  .  .  .  Mamma,  whose  inconveniences 
from  deafness  appear  to  have  been  increasing  of  late,  and  to 
some  extent  affecting  the  right  ear,  hitherto  free,  made  up 
her  mind  at  last  to  consult  a  doctor  (Hare) — as  I  have  advised 
time  out  of  mind.  He  prescribes  injections  of  glycerine  ;  and 
I  am  in  hopes  some  degree  of  good,  at  any  rate,  will  result. — 
Gabriel  is  now  at  Mrs  Bodichon's  house — Scaland's  Gate, 
Robert's  Bridge. 

Tuesday,  15  March. — Dined  with  Trelawny:  his  house 
seems  at  present  to  be  kept  by  a  niece,f  to  whom  I  was 
introduced.  I  am  not  clear  whether  he  has  a  Wife  or 
Daughter  living,  but  have  heard  him  speak  of  a  Daughter. 
He  is  and  always  has  been  an  avowed  atheist  and  materi- 

^  It  was  (I  now  find)  the  sofa  which  Kirkup  ordinarily  sat  on. 
Eventually  it  came  to  Trelawny,  and  from  him  to  me,  and  it  remains  one 
of  my  most  valued  possessions. 

t  Miss  Emma  Taylor.  She  was  not  really  Trelawny's  niece,  nor  in 
any  way  connected  with  him  ;  but  he  spoke  of  her  as  his  niece  for  con- 
venience sake, 


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alist,  and  contemplates  annihilation  without  any  repugnance. 
Once,  when  living  in  Italy,  he  saw  a  little  man  come  up  to 
his  house,  and  called  through  the  wdcket :  "  No  admittance 
except  for  atheists  and  republicans."  It  was  Roebuck.  He 
is  certain  there  was  no  intrigue  between  Shelley  and  Mrs 
Williams — "  he  might  as  well  have  wanted  the  Virgin  Mary  "  ; 
and  seems  to  be  also  confident  that  there  was  no  intrigue 
between  S[helley]  and  Emilia  Viviani,  but  in  this  case  he 
seems  rather  to  put  it  on  the  grounds  of  prudential  considera- 
tions taken  into  account  by  S[helley].  He  says  S[helley]  was 
quite  incapable  of  gross  amours  with  prostitutes  etc. :  with 
him  love  as  a  passion  was  never  dissociated  from  sentiment, 
nor  would  even  the  sight  of  a  beautiful  woman  have  been 
likely  to  produce  much  impression  upon  him,  without  the 
interest  excited  by  conversation.  He  read  me  an  amusing 
anecdote  of  S[hel]ey]'s  entering  the  saloon  at  Casa  Magni 
perfectly  naked  from  the  sea-beach,  when  Mary  and  Mrs 
Williams,  with  a  lady-visitor  from  Genoa,  were  at  dinner 
there.  The  horror  which  his  apparition  excited  was  calmly 
met  by  the  matter-of-fact  question :  "  What  else  do  you 
expect  me  to  do,  when  my  clothes  are  left  in  the  bedroom, 
and  there  is  no  way  to  the  bedroom  except  through  here  ?  " 
Trelawny  describes  him  as  "stag-eyed" — as  indicating  the 
fixed,  full,  unblinking  gaze  which  characterized  him.  His 
body,  especially  legs  and  thighs,  was  finely  formed ;  and  his 
powers  of  active  exertion,  as  in  climbing  hills,  distanced  all 
the  company.  T[relawny]  showed  me  a  letter  which  he  has 
just  lately  received  from  Miss  Clairmont,  now  in  Florence. 
There  is  not  the  least  look  of  age  in  either  its  handwriting  * 
or  subject-matter :  it  speaks  with  considerable  animus  against 
Byron  as  contrasted  with  Shelley.  .  .  . 

Sunday^  20  March, — Called  to  see  Nettleship's  picture  of 
a  Lion  and  Lioness  going  out  to  prey  by  dawnlight.  It  is 
exceedingly  fine  in  essentials,  and  has  considerable  value  of 
execution  too  in  some  ways,  though  I  fear  it  will  not  tell  out 
solidly  among  the  pictures  at  the  R.A.    Saw  also  some  of  his 

*  The  handwriting  (I  have  since  understood)  was  that  of  Miss  Paola 
Clairmont,  a  niece  of  Miss  (Clare)  Clairmont,  hving  with  her. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1870 


503 


ideal  and  other  designs  :  a  very  fine  one  embodies  the  idea 
of  prostituted  Genius  returning  to  her  first  love  for  the 
Truth.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  24  March. — Called  on  Wallis,  who  had  written  to 
me  that  he  possesses  a  head  which,  as  Peacock  had  told  him, 
gave  the  best  obtainable  idea  of  Shelley's  face.  It  is  an  out- 
line engraving  from  the  head  of  Leismann  in  the  Uffizi 
(mentioned  in  print  by  Peacock),  and  probably  conveys  a 
somewhat  different  impression  from  the  picture  itself,  which 
I  looked  at  purposely  last  year.  W[allis]  says  positively  that 
the  Shelley  portrait,  nominally  by  Miss  Curran,  exhibited  by 
Sir  P[ercy]  Shelley  at  Kensington  in  '68,  is  not  Miss  C[urran]'s 
own  work  ;  but  is  a  copy  from  the  portrait  painted  by  Clint, 
which  latter  was  done  partly  from  Miss  C[urran]'s.  The 
genuine  one  by  Miss  C[urran]  belongs,  he  says,  to  Mrs 
Hogg.*  He  has  not  yet  seen  it,  but  expects  to  do  so,  and 
might  perhaps  arrange  for  my  accompanying  him.  He  pos- 
sesses a  Tacitus  which  had  been  given  by  Shelley  to  Hogg. 
He  was  under  the  impression  that  one  of  S[helley]'s  bio- 
graphers, probably  Hogg  (he  does  not  refer  to  Thornton 
Hunt's  assertion),  had  stated  in  print  that  S[helley]  was  dissi- 
pated with  women  at  some  time  of  his  life.  On  my  telling 
him  that  Hogg  decidedly  does  not  say  so,  nor  any  other 
printed  record  written  by  a  personal  acquaintance  of  Shelley, 
he  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  he  must  have  heard  it  from 
Peacock  in  conversation.  I  entertain  some  doubt  as  to  the 
fact  alleged.  Wallis  believes  that  Severn  knew  something 
about  Shelley  (as  to  this  I  have  no  distinct  notion  either 
way).  The  last  time  W[allis]  was  in  Rome,  he  met  at 
Severn's  office  Mrs  Llanos,  Keats's  Sister :  a  large  and 
(he  says)  apparently  very  ordinary  old  lady.  She  has 
children.  .  .  . 

*  Was  Mr  Wallis  right  as  to  this  matter  ?  I  question  it  ;  being  still 
rather  under  the  impression  that  one  of  the  two  portraits  which  used  to 
belong  to  Sir  Percy  Shelley  was  the  original  by  Miss  Curran,  while 
that  which  belonged  to  Mrs  Hogg  (and  afterwards  to  her  daughter  Mrs 
Lonsdale)  was  the  copy  made  by  Clint.  Both  these  works  are  now  in  the 
National  Portrait  Gallery. 


504 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Sunday^  27  March. — Called  at  Chelsea  to  learn  about 
Gabriel's  health,  as  a  letter  raising  some  anxiety  reached  me 
thence  yesterday.  He  speaks  (by  letter  to  Dunn)  of  the  bad 
state  of  his  eyes,  and  possibility  that  he  may  have  to  leave-off 
work,  and  turn  china  etc.  into  money  ;  but  I  doubt  whether 
there  is  anything  going  on  much  different  from  what  has  been 
the  state  of  things  these  many  months. 

Monday^  28  March. — Called  to  see  the  pictures  which  Lucy 
Brown  etc.  are  sending  in  to  the  R.  A.  Cathy's  portrait  of  her 
Mother,  and  Miss  Spartali's  St  Barbara^  remarkably  good. 

Tuesday^  5  April. — Gabriel,  who  has  again  of  late  been 
increasingly  anxious  about  his  eyes,  consulted  Dr  Critchett 
to-day.  Dr  C[ritchett]  (like  all  the  others)  insists  that  there  is 
nothing  substantial  the  matter  with  the  eyes,  but  recommends 
rest,  general  reinvigoration,  etc.  He  says  the  eyes  are  more 
than  duly  flat ;  that  this  defect  used  to  be  corrected  by  an 
unconscious  exertion  of  muscular  power  ;  but  that  of  late  that 
power  is  not  so  readily  brought  into  play,  and  hence  the 
failure  of  sight.  G[abriel]  was  with  Swinburne  (recently  back 
from  Holmwood)  the  better  part  of  the  day  ;  and  speaks  in 
the  very  highest  terms  of  what  S[winburne]  has  been  writing 
lately — Hertha^  The  Litany  of  the  Nations^  and  the  Proem  to 
Tristram  and  Yseult.  S[winburne]  has  finished,  or  all  but, 
his  notice  of  G[abriel]'s  poems  for  The  Fortnightly  Review ; 
and,  spite  of  reiterated  and  strenuous  protests  from  G[abriel], 
persists  in  retaining  in  it  some  passage  exalting  G[abriel] 
expressly  above  other  contemporary  poets.  G[abriel]'s  book 
is  now  finally  made  up,  and  preparing  for  publication  ;  Swin- 
burne's Songs  before  Sunrise  are  also  expected  to  be  out  in 
May.  Marston  (through  Knight)  saw  lately  something  of 
G[abriel]'s  poems,  and  admired  them  much,  and  proposes  to 
review  them  in  The  Athenceum.  Purnell,  it  seems,  does  most 
of  the  poetic  reviewing  there,  but  cedes  this  to  M[arston] :  he 
believes  that  it  was  Buchanan  who  criticized  my  Shelley.  .  .  . 
I  began  the  notice  of  Coleridge,  and  began  reading  up  for  that 
of  Cowper — the  last  that  remains  to  be  done.  After  this,  the 
three  outstanding  volumes  of  Selections  have  to  be  compiled. 


WILLIAM  ROSSETTI— DIARY,  1870  505 


Wednesday,  6  April. — Wrote  to  Moxon,  naming  the 
editions  of  Burns,  Milton,  Coleridge,  and  Keats,  that  should 
be  sent  to  me  for  re-printing.  In  each  of  the  last  three  it  will 
be  possible  to  introduce  a  new  feature,  rendering  the  forth- 
coming editions  the  completest  in  the  market. 

Thursday,  7  April. — Handed  over  £20,  which  Gabriel 
requested  for  current  expenses  at  Chelsea — he  having  returned 
yesterday  to  Scalands.  One  item  is  £\2.  15s.  for  fire-insur- 
ance: I  find  he  is  insured  for  ^^5100.  .  .  . 

Monday,  1 1  Ap7'il. —  .  .  .  Payne  tells  me  the  Shelley  has 
sold  very  fairly :  the  edition  is  1000  copies.  ...  I  see  it  is 
actually  true  (as  I  had  been  told)  that  Payne  has  had  the 
infernal  impudence  to  affix  a  pair  of  ass's  ears  to  the  portrait 
of  Tennyson  hanging  in  his  room  at  Moxon's.  .  .  . 

Monday,  18  April. —  .  .  .  Swinburne  called,  and  read  me 
The  Litany  of  tJie  Nations  and  Hertha,  which  are  both  very 
fine — though  I  rather  question  whether  the  best  things  of  a 
like  kind  in  Atalanta  do  not  surpass  even  what  is  to  be  found 
in  Hertha.  He  .  .  .  has  somewhat  modified,  at  Gabriel's 
urgency,  what  he  had  said,  in  the  review  of  G[abriel]'s  poems, 
as  to  G[abriel]'s  superiority  to  Tennyson  etc.  The  poems  for 
the  volume  of  Songs  before  Stmrise  are  not  yet  entirely  com- 
pleted. .  .  . 

Tuesday,  19  April — Went  to  see  at  South  Kensington  the 
astonishing  Japanese  silk-painting  of  a  tiger — done  by  a 
distinguished  artist,  Ganko,  about  1700:  it  is  a  most  admir- 
able piece  of  work.  So  also  is  the  Refreshment-room  painted 
by  Morris :  I  think  it  must  be  the  best  piece  of  room-decora- 
tion, or  something  very  like  it,  of  this  century,  whether  in 
England  or  elsewhere.  It  is  darker  than  I  like — i.e.,  the  room 
admits  less  light :  but  I  fancy  this  depends  upon  its  position, 
not  decoration.  Saw  the  painted  windows  done  by  Scott  in 
outline-grisaille :  some  of  them  are  pleasing  talented  work, 
and  sufficiently  agreeable  to  the  eye — as  the  subjects  of 
Chinese  Art-workmen,  and  of  Orpheus :  the  last  window, 
representing  Raphael  etc.,  appears  to  me  not  satisfactory,  and 
the  least  approvable  of  all. — Read  Swinburne's  Eve  of  Revolu- 
tion  and  other  poems  in  MS. :  most  splendid  work  indeed.  .  ,  . 


506 


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Friday,  22  April. — Stillman  called,  and  says  that  Gabriel's 
poems  have  already  been  reviewed  in  The  Pall  Mall  Gazette 
and  The  Globe ;  also  that  G[abriel]  (who  wrote  us  lately  to 
say  the  Nortons  had  invited  him  to  Florence,  and  to  ask 
whether  I  would  accompany  him)  is  now  almost  minded  to 
settle  down  for  a  while  in  Florence.  I  quite  think  it  would 
be  desirable  for  him  to  make  the  experiment.  ...  I  had  in 
the  morning  written  to  G[abriel],  to  say  that  I  will  see  about 
arranging  for  accompanying  him  to  Florence  if  he  wishes 
(though  for  more  reasons  than  one  it  is  the  last  place  I  should 
myself  want  to  be  going  to  this  year).  .  .  . 


276. — Dante  Rossetti— Proposed  Raffle,  Deverell. 

[I  have  found  the  following  programme,  roughly  written 
out  by  my  Brother,  for  a  raffle  on  account  of  two  pictures  by 
his  old  friend  Walter  Howell  Deverell :  am  not  now  able  to 
say  whether  the  programme  was  issued  in  these  same  terms, 
or  whether  the  raffle  was  held.  The  date  of  writing  should 
be  1870,  as  that  was  the  sixteenth  year  following  1854,  in 
which  Deverell  had  died.] 

[1870.] 

It  is  projected  to  set  on  foot  a  raffle  for  the  two  following 
pictures  by  the  late  Walter  H.  Deverell,  viz. — i.  The  Banish- 
ment of  Hamlet — 2.  Irish  Beggars  by  the  Roadside.  The 
death  of  this  artist  occurred  sixteen  years  ago  at  the  age  of 
about  twenty-five,  and  the  promise  he  displayed  remained 
unaccomplished.  His  works  are  the  expression  of  original 
gifts,  struggling  with  difficulties  and  not  yet  brought  to 
maturity  :  but  they  have  a  true  interest  for  those  who  can 
discover  mental  qualities  in  art ;  contributing  as  they  do  to 
illustrate  the  growth  of  English  poetic  painting  in  the  circle 
of  men  among  whom  he  worked,  many  of  whom,  more  fortu- 
nate in  longer  life,  have  now  arrived  at  eminence. 

These  two  pictures  display  Deverell's  qualities,  especially 


ANNE  GILCHRIST,  1870 


507 


the  Hamlet^  a  work  which,  when  exhibited,  met  with  appre- 
ciation for  its  colour  and  dramatic  expression.  The  present 
raffle  has  for  its  important  object  the  assistance  of  the  late 
artist's  sister,  to  whom  the  pictures  belong.  .  .  . 

The  shares  in  the  raffle  to  be  a  guinea  each ;  the  holder 
of  the  first  and  second  prizes  will  obtain  respectively  the 
pictures  of  Hamlet  and  the  Irish  Beggars.  The  drawing  will 
take  place  three  months  from  the  present  date,  when  the 
subscribers  will  receive  notice  of  the  precise  day  and  place. 


277. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossetti. 

20  The  Terrace,  Gunter  Grove. 
2  January  1870. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  ...  I  happen  to  feel  somewhat 
downcast  and  anxious.  ...  I  have  been  reading  The  Satur- 
day Review^  which  always  makes  me  supremely  miserable, 
whatever  it  treats  of.  I  take  it  a  Saturday  Reviewer  must  be 
the  unhappiest  man  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  for  he  believes 
in  nothing  and  admires  nothing,  not  even  himself  .  .  . — 
Always  yours  gratefully, 

Anne  Gilchrist. 


278. — Anne  Gilchrist  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  passage  here  quoted,  written  by  Whitman,  must 
have  occurred  in  a  letter  addressed  to  myself — the  same 
letter  which  is  spoken  of  in  Mrs  Gilchrist's  of  i  January  1870, 
No  274.] 

20  The  Terrace,  Gunter  Grove. 
3  January  1870. 

My  dear  Mr  Rossetti, — In  regard  to  his  new  edition  Mr 
Whitman  says :  "  My  new  editions,  considerably  expanded, 
with  what  suggestions  etc.  I  have  to  offer  (presented,  I  hope, 


508 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


in  more  definite  graphic  form),  will  probably  get  printed  the 
coming  Spring.  I  shall  forward  you  early  copies.  I  send 
my  love  to  Moncure  Conway,  if  you  see  him  ;  I  wish  he  would 
write  to  me  soon  and  fully."  I  was  going  to  copy  the  whole 
letter,  and  then  could  not  make-up  my  mind  to  write  out  my 
own  praises  in  such  a  cool  way. —  .  .  .  Yours  very  truly, 

Anne  Gilchrist. 


279. — Edward  Trelawny  to  William  Rossettl 

'  7  Pelham  Crescent,  Brompton. 

8  January  1870. 

Dear  Rossetti, — Thank  you  for  the  Book  of  Courtesies.  A 
code  of  courtesy  might  be  drawn  from  it,  very  useful  in  this 
present  rude  age.  Has  Moxon  published  his  Shelley  ? — 
Yours  truly, 

E.  J.  Trelawny. 


280. — Thomas  Dixon  to  William  Rossettl 

15  Sunderland  Street,  Sunderland. 
9  January  1870. 

Dear  Sir, —  ...  I  enclose  you  a  portrait  of  W.  Whit- 
man that  has  been  copied  by  Tom  Westness  from  a  large 
portrait  sent  me  by  Whitman  on  Christmas  week ;  and  to 
get  it  done  I  ventured  a  journey  to  Morpeth  in  the  snow- 
storm on  the  Christmas-day,  for  Tom  was  in  a  state  of 
great  anxiety  to  have  it  done,  so  soon  as  I  sent  him  word 
I  had  got  it.  .  .  .  Whitman  sent  with  it  Emerson's  letter 
and  some  other  trifles  printed  in  a  newspaper,  also  a  very 
nice  letter  of  sympathy  for  Mother  s  death,  and  of  friendship 
to  me,  and  a  salutation  for  all  his  readers  here.  I  intend 
to  collect  a  few  books  amongst  us  here  to  send  him  in 
return  for  his  kindness.     Readers  of  his  poems  still  keep 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1870 


509 


on  the  increase  in  our  neighbourhood,  and  many  now  love 
him,  and  value  his  poems  much  and  deeply  too.  The  Co- 
operative Store  bought  your  edition  of  his  writings  for  the 
Library,  and  I  learn  there  has  been  other  buyers  in  the 
town.  I  find  Burroughs'  book  very  useful  as  a  help  to  a 
proper  understanding  of  the  man  and  his  poems  to  new 
readers.  .  .  .■ — Yours  respectfully, 

Thomas  Dixon. 


281. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

2  PONTE  VECCHIO. 
15  January  1870. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  .  .  .  Your  kind  dedication  to  me 
of  your  Courtesy-book  came  safe,  and  I  am  grateful.  .  .  . 

I  had  written  thus  far,  and  behold !  your  beautiful  volume 
of  the  Text  Society  is  brought  me  this  moment.  .  .  . 

Wonders  will  never  cease !  The  King  has  now  given 
me  the  Order  of  the  Corona  d'ltalia.  It  is  the  second 
order  of  the  kingdom,  civil  and  military,  as  the  Bath  is  of 
England.  The  first  is  that  of  the  Annunziata,  for  the 
Royal  Family,  foreign  sovereigns,  etc.  I  was  recommended 
by  the  Prime  Minister,  Menabrea,  whom  I  never  saw ;  and 
to  him  by  the  M[inister]  of  Public  Instruction,  Bargoni, 
whom  I  likewise  never  saw.  But  the  Secretary-General, 
Villari,  is  a  very  dear  friend  of  mine  of  long  standing, 
though  he  is  a  young  man.  He  was  one  evening  admiring 
the  Arundel  portrait  of  Dante  at  my  house ;  and  I  gave  it 
him,  to  induce  him  to  get  the  fresco  (Giotto's)  restored 
by  removing  the  horrid  daub  that  covers  it.  I  asked  him 
to  persuade  the  Minister  of  P[ublic]  instruction],  whose 
department  it  is,  and  I  gave  him  another  print  for  himself 
to  give  him,  as  an  inducement ;  and  I  suppose  he  gave  it 
to  him  in  viy  name.  But,  instead  of  reviving  Dante,  he 
obtained  the  cross  for  me,  and  sent  it  me  with  the  diploma 


510 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


and  a  very  handsome  letter,  written  entirely  by  his  own 
hand ;  and  a  beautiful  hand  it  is,  much  better  than  the 
Secretary's.  It  is  a  perfect  surprise,  and  Dante  seems  to 
care  more  for  me  than  for  the  portrait.  He  was  with  me 
a  few  days  before,  and  we  asked  him  to  inspire  the 
M[inister]  to  get  the  portrait  restored.  Bargoni  is  now  out 
— and  there  is  no  further  prospect  at  present  (and  so  is 
Menabrea),  unless  Dante  can  stimulate  the  new  Minister. 

Holman-Hunt  has  not  been  here  for  a  long  time.  I 
suppose  he  has  some  great  qualities,  perhaps  expression, 
which  is  the  greatest  of  all.  .  .  .  He  is  a  good  fellow  any- 
how— and  so  is  Woolner.  .  .  . 

There  are  still  some  of  the  Polidoris  in  Florence.  The 
Cancelliere  is  dead,  but  there  is  a  Son  of  his  whom  I  have 
seen  in  English  society. — My  dear  friend,  ever  yours, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 

...  I  will  try  and  get  you  a  photograph  of  the  beauti- 
ful monument  of  Dante's  General  at  Campaldino,  which  I 
drew  for  Lord  V[ernon],  and  which  is,  I  suppose,  lost.  The 
most  important  of  all  the  illustrations. 


282. — Edward  Trelawny  to  William  Rossettl 

7  Pelham  Crescent,  Brompton. 
17  January  1870. 

Dear  Rossetti, — You  have  verified  your  text  that  your 
editing  our  poet  was  a  work  of  love.  You  are  the  first  writer 
on  Shelley  that  has  done  justice  to  him  or  his  writings — all 
the  previous  writers  are  incompetent.  Peacock  had  fancy  and 
learning,  Hogg  the  same  ;  Leigh  Hunt  did  not  understand 
Shelley's  poetry  ;  Medwin,  superficial ;  Mrs  Shelley,  fear  of 
running  counter  to  the  cant  of  society  restrained  her.  You 
alone  have  the  qualities  essential  to  the  task,  and  have  done 
it  admirably. 

The   publishers   have   marred   all.    Under   its  present 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1870 


5ii 


hideous  form  the  book  can't  float — the  pale  ink,  the  small 
type,  and  crowded  text.  Those  that  have  opened  it  shut 
it  with  disgust.  When  you  come  this  vvay,  let's  have  a  talk. 
Thanking  you  for  your  notices,  and  hoping  I  deserve  them, — 
I  am  always  your  obliged 

E.  J.  Trelawny. 

The  Prometheus,  Shelley  said,  caused  him  the  most  labour  ; 
and,  if  that  was  a  failure,  he  could  never  hope  to  succeed  in 
being  a  poet ;  and,  if  not  a  poet,  he  was  nothing. 


283. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Professor  Norton,  Florence. 

16  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea. 
22  January  1870. 

My  dear  Norton, — I  am  truly  ashamed  of  the  above  date, 
and  of  all  my  sins  of  omission ;  including  perhaps  some 
omitted  sins, — for  these  too  strike  one  as  mistakes  occasion- 
ally as  life  wears  on.  However,  at  present  such  is  not  my 
remorse  ;  for  most  certainly  it  would  have  been  no  sin,  but  a 
duty,  to  have  written  ere  now  to  one  who  must  think  he 
remembers  me  much  better  than  I  do  him — and  to  whom  at 
any  rate  I  am  grateful  for  past  friendship,  and  even  for  future 
instalments  of  the  same,  so  sure  I  am  of  them,  whatever  my 
poor  deserts  may  be. 

I  duly  got  long  ago  the  drawing  of  Clerk  Saunders,  and 
was  truly  pleased  to  see  its  face  again.  It  even  surprised  me 
by  its  great  merit  of  feeling  and  execution,  and  now  takes  its 
place  among  its  fellows  on  my  drawing-room  walls.  I  have 
had  the  silver  flat  gilded  ;  which  makes  a  wonderful  improve- 
ment in  the  tone,  which  the  former  leaden  tint  damaged 
terribly.  Silver  flats  are  one  of  the  wilder  experiments  of 
our  frame-making  in  those  days. 

I  hope  when  I  see  you  again  you  will  be  pleased  with  the 
drawing  of  Janey  Morris  destined  for  you,  which  is  now 
being  finished.    If  you  like  however  (you  know),  I  will  send 


512 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


it  to  you  in  Florence.  But,  before  parting  with  it,  I  shall 
have  to  make  a  replica  for  my  own  keeping,  as  I  like  it  on 
the  whole  the  best  of  the  drawings  I  have  made  of  her,  and 
never  mean  to  let  any  more  go  out  of  my  own  possession. 
The  chance  of  such  a  model  is  too  precious  for  the  ordinary 
market.  You  will  be  grieved  to  have  heard  (as  you  have 
doubtless  done)  how  very  ill  she  has  been  since  you  were  in 
London ;  nor  can  I  give  a  good  account  of  her  now,  though 
she  has  been  somewhat  better  just  lately. 

I  have  been  thinking  what  there  may  be  to  tell  you  of  my 
work,  and  am  obliged  to  confess  that  it  does  not  amount  to 
much.  I  have  been  a  good  deal  out  of  sorts,  nor  did  I 
benefit  much  in  the  autumn  by  a  trip  to  Scotland.  However, 
poor  health  has  not  been  the  only  cause  of  the  little  I  have 
got  done  in  painting,  as  I  lost  some  time  preparing  a  volume 
of  poems  for  the  press,  which  I  hope  to  get  out  in  the  Spring. 
I  have  communicated  with  Mr  Fields  of  Boston  (whom  you 
doubtless  know)  as  to  his  undertaking  an  American  reprint; 
since,  when  he  called  on  me  with  Longfellow  last  summer,  he 
expressed  a  wish  to  reprint  some  early  poetry  of  mine  he  had 
seen  somewhere.  I  have  not  as  yet  received  his  reply.  My 
proposed  publisher,  Ellis,  had  received  a  request  for  sheets  of 
the  poems  from  Messrs  Roberts  the  American  publishers, 
but  I  thought  after  what  Fields  said  it  was  best  to  write  to 
him. 

Of  course  you  know  how  great  a  success  Morris's  new 
Earthly  Paradise  is ;  and  no  doubt  you  agree  with  all  the 
most  reliable  opinions,  that  there  is  some  real  advance  as  to 
strength  and  human  character  in  this  volume  even  over  the 
former  one.  The  Gudrun  is  surely  on  the  whole  one  of  the 
finest  poems  in  the  English  language.  I  believe  you  have 
been  hearing  from  Ned  Jones,  so  need  not  convey  news  of 
him  and  his. 

What  a  delightful  picture — indeed,  a  most  precious  one — 
your  Giorgione  turns  out  after  passing  through  the  hands  of 
a  skilful  picture-cleaner !  Why  in  the  world  the  change  in  it 
had  ever  been  made  it  is  difficult  to  conceive ;  except  indeed 
that  it  appears  to  have  been  part  of  a  larger  picture,  the  rest 


WILLIAM  ALLINGHAM,  1870 


513 


of  which  may  presumably  have  been  lost,  and  an  attempt  then 
made  to  give  the  fragment  the  look  of  a  whole  at  the  expense 
of  its  beauty  and  real  character.  It  seems,  as  now  cleaned,  to 
be  in  a  quite  perfect  state,  and  needed  I  believe  no  retouching 
whatever.  The  colour  is  so  golden  that  it  gives  an  idea  of 
being  actually  painted  on  a  gold  ground,  though  this  does  not 
seem  on  examination  to  be  the  case. 

We  have  a  very  fine  specimen  of  an  American  over  here 
now  in  the  person  of  Stillman,  whom  you  know.  I  have 
known  him  in  a  fragmentary  way  for  many  years,  but  am 
seeing  more  of  him  now,  and  Hke  him  extremely. 

I  hope  you  are  all  enjoying  yourselves  in  Florence,  and 
above  all  that  you  have  no  ill-health  to  interfere  with  the 
fitness  of  things  around  you.  Will  you  give  my  very  best 
and  truest  remembrances  to  all  yours,  and  accept  them  for 
yourself,  believing  me  your  sincere  friend, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


284. — William  Allingham  to  William  Rossetti. 

[The  profile  of  Shelley  in  boyhood,  done  by  the  Due  de 
Montpensier,  is  known  to  many  persons  interested  in  the 
great  poet.  I  can  only  say  that  I  never  perceived  it  to  bear 
much  resemblance  to  his  face,  such  as  we  very  imperfectly 
know  it  from  other  records  ;  nor  did  I  ever  hear  any  details 
tending  clearly  to  authenticate  it. — In  Allingham's  P.S.  the 
term  "the  engraving"  means  (as  may  readily  be  perceived) 
the  engraved  portrait  of  Shelley  in  my  edition  of  his 
poems. — I  will  add  here  a  few  details  about  the  Due  de 
Montpensier.  He  was  born  in  1775,  a  younger  son  of  the 
Due  d'Orleans,  Philippe  Egalite,  and  was  Brother  to  the  Due 
de  Chartres,  afterwards  King  Louis  Philippe.  Getting  into 
serious  trouble  and  danger  in  the  course  of  the  French 
Revolution,  he  embarked  for  America  in  1796,  and  came  to 
England  in  1800,  residing  at  Twickenham.  Here  the  Due  de 
Montpensier  died  in  1807.    The  portrait  said  to  be  that  of 

2  K 


514 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


Shelley  (born  in  1792)  represents  a  boy  seemingly  aged  about 
eleven  (or,  as  Allingham  says,  ten).  This  will  bring  us  to 
1803,  which  is  a  date  quite  consistent  with  those  which  relate 
to  the  English  sojourn  of  the  Due  de  Montpensier.  Shelley, 
it  would  appear,  was  a  pupil  at  Sion  House  Academy, 
Isleworth,  from  the  autumn  of  1802  to  the  summer  of  1804.] 

Lymington. 
23  January  1870. 

Dear  William, — Pray  accept  my  best  thanks,  first  for  the 
curious  Italian  Courtesy-books ^  and  secondly  for  the  two 
valuable  Shelley  volumes.  Both  Life  and  Notes  seem  to  me 
admirably  done. 

Last  month  (December  5  and  6)  I  was  at  Boscombe, 
and  saw  for  the  first  time  the  Shelley  relics  which  are  there. 
The  letters,  scribbling-books,  pocket-books,  rough  and  fair 
copies  of  poems,  I  was  allowed  to  turn  over  for  an  hour  or  so, 
with  promise  of  leave  to  examine  them  carefully  at  another 
time.  They  are  in  a  cabinet  which  stands  in  a  large  recess, 
sometimes  hid  by  a  curtain,  in  Lady  Shelley's  boudoir.  At 
the  end  of  the  recess  is  a  full-size  cast  of  Christchurch 
monument  (drowned  figure  etc.) ;  on  one  side  of  this  a  bust 
of  Mrs  Shelley — on  the  other  a  bust  of  Mrs  Godwin  (a 
beautiful  woman) ;  and  on  the  wall  an  idealized  copy  of 
Miss  Curran's  picture  of  P.  B.  S.  (the  original  is  in  Sir 
Percy's  room),  and  two  glazed  frames  with  locks  of  hair  : 

P.  B.  S.      .       .       .  1816 


Do. 
Mary  W.  S. 
P.  Florence  S. 
Lord  Byron 
C[ountess]  Guiccioli 
L[eigh]  Hunt  . 
Tom  Moore 
Ed.  Trelawny 
Ed.  Williams 


1822  }  ^^^^  ^^^y  dark  brown. 
185 1    light  and  faded. 

1 82 1  very  light. 

1822  turning  grey, 
blonde. 

^  ^  ^   I  nearly 

1822 
1821 


black. 


Item — portrait  of  William  S[helley],  child  of  about  two ; 
blue  eyes,  sea-shell  pink  cheeks,  yellow  hair  ;  and  pencil- 


MRS  LYNN  LINTON,  1870 


515 


drawing  {i.e.,  copy  or  photograph  of  one)  "  drawn  by  the  Due 
de  Montpensier,  and  presented  by  him  to  the  Ladies  of 
Langollen,"  representing  in  profile  the  head  of  a  very  beautiful 
boy  of  about  ten,  with  curls  to  his  shoulders,  P.  B.  S.  to  wit. 
The  poet's  travelling  knife  and  fork  in  a  case  are  here,  one 
of  his  gloves  (found  in  a  book),  the  plate  he  used  to  eat  his 
raisins  off  at  Marlow  in  1817  (a  rather  pretty  plate,  white 
with  pattern  of  strawberries),  the  volume  of  ^schylus  (not 
"  Sophocles  ")  found  in  his  pocket.  The  edition  is  a  i2mo  one 
in  2  volumes,  and  the  companion-volume  is  also  here. 
I  read  the  pamphlet — 

"  A  Refutation  of  Deism,  in  a  dialogue— SYNETOISIN 
London,  printed  by  Schultze  and  Dean,  13  Poland  Street, 
1 8 14,  loi  pages.  'Tis  in  ironical  Voltairian  manner: 
pretends  to  support  Christianity — "no  alternative  between 
Atheism  and  Christianity  " — while  attacking  both  Christianity 
and  Deism.  The  author's  opinion  is  evidently  given  in  these 
words  :  "  It  is  easier  to  suppose  that  the  Universe  has  existed 
from  all  eternity  than  to  conceive  an  eternal  being  capable  of 
creating  it.  .  .  .  The  system  of  the  Universe  is  upheld  solely 
by  the  physical  powers."  .  .  . — Yours  always, 

W.  Allingham. 

The  engraving  is  a  very  unlucky  version  of  Miss  Curran's 
portrait,  and  likely  to  prepossess  people  against  the  book, 
I  fear.  I  wish  that  drawing  of  the  boy  of  ten  were  in  stead 
of  it. 


285. — Mrs  Lynn  Linton  to  William  Rossetti. 

28  GowER  Street. 

27  January  1870. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — Very  many  thanks  for  your  Memoir. 
.  .  .  All  my  life  I  have  been  ridiculed  for  my  love  of  Shelley, 
and  told  how  his  poetry  has  been  my  ruin ;  and  now  you 


516 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


come  forward  not  only  to  defend  but  even  to  eulogize  his 
lovers.  .  .  . — Yours  most  faithfully, 

E.  Lynn  Linton. 


286. — Keningale  Cook  to  William  Rossettl 

69  Mansfield  Road,  Highgate  Road. 
27  January  1870. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, —  ...  It  may  or  may  not  interest  you 
to  learn — if  you  are  not  already  aware  of  it — that  your 
edition  of  Whitman  has  called  forth  long  notices  in  two 
periodicals  of  rather  distinctive  class  : — The  Intellectual  Reposi- 
tory (organ  of  Swedenborgian  spiritualism)  of  a  few  months 
ago ;  and  The  Spiritual  Magazine  (Christian  branch  of  modern, 
or,  if  I  may  so  speak,  more  material  spiritualism)  of  this 
month.  This  latter  article,  though  narrow  in  one  or  two 
points,  is  fine  in  its  way  :  the  author  "  W.  H." — William 
Howitt,  I  should  imagine.  The  other  paper  wants  a  little 
straightening  in  its  literary  facts,  which  are  set  rather 
crookedly.  .  .  . — Most  truly  yours, 

Keningale  R.  Cook. 


287. — William  Rossetti  to  William  Allingham. 

[In  speaking  of  some  portrait  of  Shelley  "  now  lost,"  I 
meant  (but  the  sentence  is  rather  ambiguous)  that  the 
water-colour  by  Lieutenant  Williams  is  now  lost — not  the 
oil-painting  by  Clint.  The  jocular  allusion  to  The  Athenceum 
refers  to  the  censorious  review  in  that  periodical  of  my 
edition  of  Shelley.] 

56  EusTON  Square. 
30  January  1870. 

Dear  Allingham, —  .  .  .  The  engraving  to  my  Shelley  is 
indeed  worse  than  indifferent :  it  is  the   same   that  had 


PROFESSOR  DOWDEN,  1870 


517 


appeared  in  recent  issues  of  Mrs  Shelley's  editions.  It  is 
not  strictly  from  Miss  Curran's  portrait,  but  from  the  one 
used  by  Trelawny — i.e.,  a  water-colour  by  Lieut.  Williams, 
from  which  (now  lost)  a  portrait  by  Clint  was  painted.  But 
no  doubt  Clint  must  have  coached  himself  up  from  Miss 
Curran :  but  for  this,  one  would  have  to  say  that  the 
almost  entire  coincidence  between  the  Curran  and  Williams 
portraits  argues  strongly  in  favour  of  the  truthfulness  of 
the  now  currently  accepted  Shelley  face. — Yours  as  long  as 
The  Athenceum  leaves  me  crawling, 

W.  M.  ROSSETTI. 


288.— Profr.  Dowden  to  William  Rossettl 

61  Wellington  Road,  Dublin. 
I  February  1870. 

Dear  Sir, — I  write  to  know  whether  you  are  sufficiently 
disengaged  to  be  able,  or  to  care,  to  read  an  Essay  of 
mine  called  The  Poetry  of  Democracy :  Walt  Whitman.  It 
came  to  be  written  at  the  request  of  the  Editor  of  Macmil- 
lan  that  I  should  contribute  something  to  his  magazine ; 
but,  on  finding  my  paper  was  concerned  with  Whitman,  he 
could  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  MS.  went  the 
round  of  several  Reviews  ;  or  rather  I  consulted  the  Editor 
beforehand  as  to  whether  an  article  on  such  a  subject  would 
be  acceptable ;  but  the  Fortnightly  had  had  its  article  on 
Whitman  already,  and  from  other  quarters  I  got  such 
answers  as  "  God  save  us  from  Whitmanism  " — Whitman's 
monstrous  system,"  etc.  etc.  At  last,  in  the  least  likely 
quarter,  it  was  accepted — for  The  Contemporary  Review.  .  .  . 
But,  after  being  put  into  print.  Dean  Alford  and  Mr  Strahan 
found  its  tone  "  too  alarming "  to  permit  of  its  being  pub- 
lished. 

I  have  the  proof-sheet  by  me,  and  I  should  like  you  (if 
it  does  not  trouble  you)  to  read  my  essay ;  partly  because 
I  can  acknowledge  thereby,  beside  other  debts,  especially 


518 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


the  debt  you  have  laid  me  under  in  making  me  acquainted 
with  Whitman's  writings  ;  partly  because,  as  I  suppose  no 
English  review  will  accept  my  article  (which  I  believe  you 
will  find  very  innocent  and  2/;?-"  alarming "),  I  should  be 
glad  to  learn  from  you  if  you  think  there  is  a  chance  of 
its  being  accepted  by  any  American  Review  of  merit,  and 
if  so — which. 

In  any  case  I  wish  Whitman  himself  to  see  it,  and  shall 
thank  you  if  you  can  let  me  know  his  address.  .  .  . 

I  am  connected  with  the  University  of  Dublin  as  Pro- 
fessor of  English  Literature.  .  .  . — Very  faithfully  yours, 

Edward  Dowden. 


289.— Dante  Rossetti  to  William  Rossetti. 

[I  think  it  as  well  to  give  this  extract ;  as  it  has  often 
been  said,  spitefully  or  ignorantly  or  with  much  exaggera- 
tion, that  Dante  Rossetti  prompted  some  of  his  friends  to 
write  reviews  of  his  Poems.  The  extract  strongly  suggests 
that  both  Mr  William  Morris  (Top)  and  Mr  Swinburne 
acted  spontaneously.  Mr  Morris's  review  appeared  in  The 
Academy.  The  sequel  to  the  present  letter  comes  in  letter 
294,  II  February  1870.] 

[16  Cheyne  Walk. 
3  February  1870.] 

Dear  William, — I  am  always  forgetting  to  ask  you  as 
follows.  Top  wants  to  do  a  notice  of  my  book.  He  proposed 
Fortnightly  ;  but  there  I  believe  Swinburne  proposes  to  do  so, 
and  had  long  ago  started  the  idea.  Do  you  think  The 
Academy  would  be  available?  And,  if  so,  could  you  propose 
the  thing  to  the  Editor?  Top's  name  would  be  useful 
perhaps  to  him,  as  well  as  to  my  book.  .  .  . — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


F.  T.  PALGRAVE,  1870 


519 


290.— Profr.  Dowden  to  William  Rossettl 

61  Wellington  Road,  Dublin. 
5  February  1870. 

Dear  Sir, — I  post  to  you  to-day  my  article.  ...  I  ought 
to  have  made  it  clearer  that  I  view  Whitman's  work  by  no 
means  as  supply  to  answer  such  demand  as  the  American 
people  makes,  or  is  likely  for  some  time  to  make  ;  but  as 
the  utterances  of  a  man  of  genius  standing  in  the  presence  of 
a  great  democracy,  and  delivering  himself  with  no  concern 
for  his  hearers'  tastes  or  wishes.  Whitman's  want  of  popularity 
therefore  in  his  own  country  affords  no  argument  against  the 
statement  that  he  is  the  poet  of  democracy.  The  Hebrew 
prophets,  in  the  same  way,  were  unpopular,  yet  were  no  less 
on  that  account  the  truest  interpreters  of  the  Hebrew  spirit. 
,  .  . — Very  truly  yours, 

Edward  Dowden. 


291.— F.  T.  Palgrave  to  William  Rossettl 

5  York  Gate,  Regent's  Park. 
7  February  1870. 

Dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  am  in  the  thick  of  your  Shelleyan 
labours,  and  admire  the  reverential  reserve  with  which  you 
have  altered  the  text.  I  have  long  since  surrendered  all  my 
attempts  at  correction  :  except  the  dome  for  doojn  in  the  West 
Wind,  in  which  I  dare  say  I  have  been  anticipated  by  others. 
.  .  . — Ever  truly  yours, 

F.  T.  Palgrave. 


520 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


292. — Profr.  Dowden  to  William  Rossetti. 

61  Wellington  Road,  Dublin. 
10  February  1870. 

My  dear  Sir, —  .  .  .  What  you  say  of  Whitman's  being  a 
"  daemonic  man  "  (Goethe's  phrase — is  it  not  ?)  and  therefore 
only  to  be  expected  to  utter  his  own  vision  of  truth,  not  that 
of  the  side  remote  from  him,  is  most  true.  I  do  not  think  of 
blaming,  any  more  than  I  could  think  of  blaming  J.  H.  New- 
man, say,  for  being  at  the  extreme  other  pole  of  truth.  But 
in  such  a  criticism  as  mine  it  seemed  in  keeping  with  the  rest 
to  note  the  limitations  or  even  the  error  of  his  thinking,  as 
well  as  the  chief  objects  within  its  range.  That  error,  as  it 
presents  itself  to  me,  is  an  exclusion  of  self-consciousness 
from  Nature,  and  all  that  proceeds  from  self-consciousness ; 
whereas  Nature  really  includes  self-consciousness.  Whitman, 
in  his  feeling  that  men  would  become  more  a  part  of  Nature, 
and  so  live  a  freer  larger  life,  by  utterly  losing  sight  of  them- 
selves, is  really  tending  towards  asceticism  of  a  peculiar  kind, 
— self-mutilation,  putting-out  of  the  inward  eye  of  self- 
observation  for  the  sake  of  getting  into  his  Kingdom  of 
Heaven.  His  doctrine  seems  to  me,  by  an  immeasurable 
amount,  more  fruitful  than  its  opposite — that  which  devotes 
itself  to  inculcating  self-superintendence  without  caring  to 
develop  that  which  is  to  be  superintended.  But  the  whole 
truth  on  this  matter  is  what  I  would  grow  passionate  for, 
which  I  find  nowhere  better  put  than  in  the  words  of  Schelling, 
whose  philosophy  too  was  a  Natur-pJiilosophie : — "  It  has  long 
been  perceived  that  in  art  [and  life  and  all  things]  everything 
is  not  performed  with  a  full  consciousness ;  that  with  the 
conscious  activity  an  unconscious  energy  must  unite  itself ; 
that  the  perfect  union  and  reciprocal  interpenetration  of  the 
two  is  that  which  accomplishes  the  highest  in  art "  [and  in 
life].  .  .  . — Very  truly  yours, 

Edward  Dowden. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1870 


521 


293. — John  Tupper  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  book  sent  along  with  this  note  is  evidently  the  one 
entitled  Hiatus^  or  the  Void  in  Modern  Education,  As  Mr 
Tupper  was  an  excellent  Art-teacher,  and  the  main  thesis  of 
his  book  is  to  some  extent  well  summarized  in  this  note — 
the  book  itself  being  far  less  widely  known  than  it  deserves 
to  be — I  think  it  desirable  to  insert  the  letter.] 

Rugby. 
II  February  1870. 

My  dear  Rossetti, — I  have  ordered  a  copy  of  my  Book  to 
be  sent  you.  You  will  (if  you  read)  differ  gravely  on  some 
points,  but  I  hope  I  shall  have  your  sanction  on  some.  I  am 
not,  you  mind,  writing  about  art  as  poetry;  though  I  contend 
that,  if  art  is  only  taught  grammatically,  and  learned  so,  there 
will  be  some  emotional,  some  poetic  outcome.  I  only  say 
that  we  cannot  teach  poetry  nor  the  poetic  constituent  of 
Art ;  and  that  is  just  what  we  are  for  ever  pretending  to  do, 
in  schools,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  possible  teaching. 

I  am  entrancedly  gloating  over  these  wonderful  things  in 
Turner's  Liber  Studioruni ;  but  I  do  not  show  them  to  my 
boys  till  they  are  well  advanced,  for  we  can't  get  so  far. 
Boys  could  not  see  them  as  anything  but  a  sanction  for 
scribble.  If  we  root-out  the  sham,  and  get-in  a  little  truth 
in  the  way  of  drawing,  we  do  much — eh? — Yours  always, 

J.  L.  Tupper. 


294. — Dante  Rossetti  to  William  Rossettl 

[16  Cheyne  Walk. 
II  February  1870.] 

Dear  W., — Top  thinks  the  best  plan  would  be  as  you 
suggest — z>.,  for  you  to  tell  the  Editor  of  Academy  that  he  is 


522 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


willing  to  write  on  his  own  subjects,  and  notify  any  book  he 
wishes  for  review.  I  suppose  that  plan  is  likely  to  suit 
Editor. — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


295.— John  PicKFORt)  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  statement  that  Shelley  entered  Eton  School  "  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  "  is  not  quite  accurate.  He  was  there  before 
he  was  fully  twelve.] 

Bolton  Percy,  near  Tadcaster. 
15  February  [1870]. 

My  dear  Sir, —  .  .  .  On  the  enclosed  paper  I  have  jotted 
down  a  few  bits  concerning  Shelley  which  have  fallen  under 
my  notice  in  my  reading,  though  perhaps  they  may  not  be 
new  to  you,  and  may  have  been  anticipated  in  your  Memoir. 
— Believe  me  yours  faithfully, 

John  Pickford. 

It  is  owing  to  your  remarks  on  Shelley  in  the  last  No.  of 
Notes  and  Queries  that  I  have  sent  the  paper  to  you. 

Percy  Bysshe  Shelley  was  born  in  1792,  and  at  the  age 
of  thirteen,  after  being  at  School  at  Sion  House,  Brentford, 
was  sent  to  Eton.  Joseph  Goodall,  D.D.,  was  then  Head 
Master  (1801  to  1809,  when  he  was  elected  Provost  of  the 
College).  Dr  Keate  was  most  probably  at  the  time  of 
Shelley's  entrance  Master  of  the  Lower  School^  in  which  he 
was  placed.  A  reference  to  Etoniana  or  the  Registrmn 
Regale  could  at  once  show  whether  I  am  correct  in  my 
assertion  concerning  Dr  Keate  having  once  been  Lower 
Master.  The  power  of  flogging  would  belong  to  him,  as  well 
as  to  the  Head  Master. 

In  1809  Keate  became  Head  Master,  and  held  that  post 
for  a  great  number  of  years. 

In  1811  Shelley  was  expelled  from  University  College, 


MRS  LEWES,  1870 


523 


Oxford,  at  the  age  of  eighteen. — Query,  in  what  year  did  he 
enter  Oxford  ? — University  College  at  that  time  had  chiefly 
as  its  undergraduate  members  young  men  of  family  and 
fortune  from  Northumberland,  Durham,  and  Yorkshire, — in 
fact,  was  peopled  by  a  set  of  hard-living  north-countrymen ; 
and  why  selected  as  a  college  for  Shelley  it  is  difficult  to  say. 
The  Master  was  James  Griffith,  D.D.  (1808  to  1821).  To  Mr 
Faber  belongs  the  merit  in  the  first  instance  of  raising 
University  to  its  present  high  rank  in  Oxford,  and  also  to 
Arthur  Stanley,  the  Dean  of  Westminster,  both  of  whom 
were  Tutors. 

In  The  New  Monthly  Magazine  for  1833  may  be  found  an 
account  of  Shelley's  expulsion,  written  by  a  contemporary, 
which  is  well  worth  reading.  .  .  . 

Mention  is  made,  in  the  N\e'w'\  M[onthfy]  Mlagazine] 
article  above  alluded  to,  of  Shelley's  quickness  in  making  Latin 
verses  ;  and  of  his  once  having  shown  up  a  Latin  prose 
theme  to  Keate  in  which  he  wrote  some  verses,  and  which 
Keate  as  he  read  the  theme  scanned.  This  was  most  likely 
when  Keate  was  Lower  Master  ;  unless,  as  is  scarcely  prob- 
able, Shelley,  during  the  latter  part  of  his  stay  at  Eton,  was 
in  the  Sixth  Form. 


296. — Mrs  Lewes  to  Dante  Rossetti. 

[My  Brother's  acquaintance  with  the  self-styled  "  George 
Eliot "  was  not  at  any  time  very  close  :  it  was  (as  we  see)  at 
this  date  sufficient  to  warrant  him  in  sending  her,  or  to  war- 
rant her  in  asking  for  and  accepting,  some  photographs  from 
his  works  of  art.  The  "head  marked  June  1861"  must 
have  been  a  pencil-head  of  his  Wife — one  of  very  few  which 
he  drew  from  her,  as  actual  portrait-studies,  after  the  date  of 
their  marriage.  The  chief  subject  in  the  letter  here  extracted 
from  is  the  photograph  from  the  pen-and-ink  drawing  of 
Hamlet  and  Ophelia.  That  passage  was  reproduced  in  Miss 
Mathilde  Blind's  volume  George  Eliot :  so  I  omit  it  here.] 


524 


ROSSETTi  PAPERS 


21  North  Bank. 

17  February  1870. 

Dear  Mr  Rossetti, — I  have  had  time  now  to  dwell  on  the 
photographs.  I  am  especially  grateful  to  you  for  giving  me 
the  head  marked  June  1861  :  it  is  exquisite.  But  I  am  glad 
to  possess  every  one  of  them.  The  subject  of  The  Magdalene 
rises  in  interest  for  me  the  more  I  look  at  it.  I  hope  you  will 
keep,  in  the  picture,  an  equally  passionate  type  for  her. 
Perhaps  you  will  indulge  me  with  a  little  talk  about  the 
modifications  you  intend  to  introduce.  .  .  . 

1  thank  you  sincerely,  and  I  feel  it  a  privilege  to  have 
learned  something  of  your  mind's  work. — Yours  always  truly, 

M.  E.  Lewes. 


297. — Dante  Rossetti  to  William  Rossettl 

[The  chief  interest  of  this  note  is  the  evidence  it  affords 
that  my  Brother,  even  before  his  volume  Poems  was  actually 
published,  had  confidently  forecast  that  it  would  be  attacked 
by  Mr  Robert  Buchanan.  I  omit,  for  a  sufficient  reason,  the 
close  of  his  sentence  about  Mr  Buchanan :  the  reader  will 
understand  that  what  he  means  is  that  this  author,  when 
about  to  write  a  hostile  review,  would  find  himself  more  or 
less  hampered  through  laudatory  reviews  already  written  and 
published  by  authors  as  distinguished  as  himself — or  shall  I 
say  more  distinguished  ?] 

[16  Cheyne  Walk. 
23  February  1870.] 

Dear  W., — I  have  sent  my  proofs  for  correction  and  reset- 
ting (as  I  mean  now  to  have  only  24  lines  in  a  page,  instead  of 
29),  and  have  told  them  to  send  a  set  (when  done)  to  you  at 
once.  I  suppose  this  will  not  be  done  for  some  days,  but 
write  now  lest  I  forget  ;  as  I  want  to  ask  whether  you  could 
greatly  oblige  me  by  reading  them  carefully  through  again 
with  a  view  to  punctuation  when  you  receive  them,  as  I  am 


MORRIS  &  COMPANY,  1870 


525 


sure  stops  etc.  will  be  sure  to  drop  out  in  the  resetting,  and 
you  must  have  a  good  habit  of  spotting  these  things,  besides 
better  eyes  than  I  have. 

Swinburne's  article  will  be  in  the  May  Fortnightly,  one 
by  Skelton  in  May  Eraser,  and  Top  (I  trust)  in  May  Academy. 
So  Buchanan  may,  let  us  hope,  be  caught  just  in  the 
act.  .  .  . — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


298. — John  Ruskin  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  have  forgotten  what  was  "  that  help  "  which  I  had  just 
been  affording  to  Mr  Ruskin :  it  must  apparently  have  been 
in  the  nature  of  translating  some  passage  from  the  writings  of 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  on  pictorial  art.] 

Oxford. 
10  March  1870. 

Dear  Rossetti, — I  am  so  very  much  obliged  to  you  for 
that  help.  There  is  a  great  deal  in  Leonardo  which  I  used  to 
think  commonplace,  but  now  find — examining  the  expres- 
sions closely — of  highest  value.  That  Imperatore  bit  is  very 
puzzling  however  at  best. 

Thank  you  for  the  book  on  mediaeval  etiquette — it  is 
greatly  amusing. — Ever  believe  me,  dear  Rossetti,  yours 
affectionately, 

J.  Ruskin. 


299. — Morris  &  Company — a  Bill. 

[As  everything  connected  with  the  firm  of  Morris  & 
Company  has  become  of  interest  to  many,  I  give  here  a  copy 
of  a  bill  of  theirs.  I  don't  know  who  did  the  "  device  "  :  it 
is  not  exactly  a  masterpiece.    The  bill  relates  to  the  stained- 


526 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


glass  window  commissioned  by  Charlotte  Polidori  in  memory 
of  her  deceased  sister  Margaret,  and  set  up  in  Christ  Church, 
Albany  Street :  it  was  designed  by  Dante  Rossetti,  and 
executed  by  the  Morris  Firm.  The  subject  is  here  called 
"  Sermon  on  the  Mount "  :  but  this  is  not  correct,  as  the 
designer  intended  the  Sermon  on  the  Plain — as  set  forth  in 
Luke^  chap.  6.] 

26  Queen  Square,  Bloomsbury,  W.C. 
March  19th  1870. 

To  Miss  Polidori. 


Device 


Dr.  to  MORRIS  &  COMPANY, 


Fine  Art  Workmen,  in  Painting,  Carving,  Stained  Glass, 
Furniture,  and  the  Metals. 

The  terms  are  strictly  for  cash  :  five  per  cent,  charged  after  three 
months. 
1870. 

Janry.  15.    To  Brass  Plate   for  Window-sill 

with  inscription .       .       .       .  19  8 

Mar.     18.    To  Stained  Glass,  Sermon  on  the 

Mount  35    o  o 

„   Fixing  o  16  4 


£l7  16  o 

March  21.    Received  with  thanks,  Morris  &  Company. 


300. — Dante  Rossetti  to  William  Rossettl 

[I  don't  now  remember — and  I  suppose  that  I  never 
knew  —  anything  about  this  matter  of  The  North  British 
Review.  It  appears  that  Mr  W.  B.  Scott  co-operated  (at 
least  in  intention)  in  the  plan,  which  he  afterwards  vigorously 
denounced,  of  the  reviewing,  by  personal  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, of  the  Poems  of  Dante  Rossetti.  Also  I  do  not 
recollect  what  poem  or  passage  written  by  my  Brother 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1870 


527 


appeared  to  me  to  resemble  the  first  sonnet  of  Petrarch — one 
of  the  most  perfect  pieces  of  verse-writing  in  any  language.] 

[SCALANDS. 
25  March  1870.] 

Dear  W., — Do  you  know  if  Simcox  is  on  the  North 
British  ?  It  seems  some  one  secured  my  book  there  before 
Scott  asked  for  it,  but  I  don't  know  who  it  was.  Or  is  there 
any  one  else  likely  ?    Do  you  know  the  names  ? 

I've  been  rather  worried  by  your  discovery  about  the 
resemblance  to  Petrarch's  first  sonnet,  which  I  verily  believe 
I  never  read.    Would  you  mind  copying  it  for  me  ? 

I  have  written  just  a  sheet  of  new  matter  which  is  in 
print  now,  and  shall  do  no  more  but  a  sonnet  or  two 
perhaps.    I'm  not  in  trim,  and  time  wears  too  short. — Your 

Gabriel. 

I  finished  The  Stream's  Secret  (begun  at  Penkill)  which 
makes  12  pages.    The  rest  are  sonnets. 

301. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Madox  Brown. 

SCALANDS. 
{April  1870.] 

Dear  Brown, — I  write  to  Dunn  with  this  about  the 
studies.  I  should  be  much  obliged  to  you  to  look  in  again. 
I  do  not  think  you  or  any  one  understands  the  extent  to 
which  my  eyesight  now  interferes  with  work.  Every  moment 
is  an  effort.  The  chalks  are  a  little  less  painful,  so  I  am 
apt  to  do  them.  I  have  fortunately  several  commissions 
for  chalk-portraits  which  I  may  get  done  on  reaching 
London  unless  my  eyes  become  worse. 

No  matter  about  the  trifle  of  tin.  There  will  be  moments 
more  convenient  for  you,  and  more  desperate  for  me,  yet. 
.  .  . — Your 

D.  G.  R. 


528 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


302. — Dante  Rossetti  to  Profr.  Norton,  Florence. 

SCALANDS,  ROBERTSBRIDGE,  SUSSEX. 

II  April  1870. 

My  dear  Norton, — What  very,  very  kind  letters  from 
yourself  and  Mrs  Norton !  May  I  mass  the  answers  I  owe 
into  one?  It  seems  natural,  when  the  unity  of  kindness  is 
so  complete  in  both. 

I  have  been  here  for  a  month  or  rather  more  now, 
having  left  London  in  very  poor  health,  and  not  having 
much  to  boast  of  at  this  writing.  There  is  everything  to 
tempt  me  in  your  invitation,  I  need  hardly  say ;  but  the 
weakness  I  have  long  been  experiencing  in  my  eyes  forbids 
sight-seeing,  and  to  enter  Florence  under  such  a  prohibi- 
tion for  the  first  time  would  be,  I  fear,  too  tantalizing. 
Better  dulness  and  commonplace  at  home  than  such  a 
change  so  circumscribed.  Besides,  if  work  may  be,  work  I 
must  for  many  reasons,  and  the  day  has  arrived  to  try 
again.  So  I  fear  there  is  little  likelihood  (though  not  per- 
haps quite  none)  of  my  seeing  you  in  Florence.  Mean- 
while, I  may  say  truly  that  no  distant  place  or  persons 
seem  to  me  so  pleasantly  inviting,  but  for  dismal  drawbacks. 

I  hope  you  will  soon  get  my  volume  of  poems.  It  shall 
reach  you  as  soon  as  it  is  out,  which  will  I  believe  be  for 
certain  before  the  end  of  this  month.  Some  friendly  hands 
are  already  at  work  on  reviews  of  it:  Morris  for  The 
Academy — Swinburne  for  the  Fortnightly — Stillman  for  an 
American  paper — and  others. 

Stillman  is  my  companion  in  these  solitudes,  and  a  very 
good,  helpful,  friendly  companion  he  is,  as  you  will  judge 
from  your  knowledge  of  him.  The  house  (which  has  a 
good  studio  in  it)  has  been  lent  us  by  an  old  friend,  Mrs 
Bodichon,  an  excellent  landscape-painter  herself,  as  you 
perhaps  know.  I  think  you  have  heard  from  Stillman  that 
he  has  .  .  .  got  himself  engaged.  .  .  .  He  has  gone  up  to 
town  to-day,  .  .  .  and  I  am  left  to  lonely  letter-writing. 


DANTE  ROSSETTI,  1870 


529 


She  is  a  noble  girl — in  beauty,  in  sweetness,  and  in  artistic 
gifts;  and  the  sky  should  seem  very  warm  and  calm  above, 
and  the  road  in  front  bright  and  clear,  and  all  ill  things 
left  behind  for  ever,  to  him  who  starts  anew  on  his  life- 
journey,  foot  to  foot  and  hand  in  hand  with  her.  ...  I 
warmly  hope  that  happiness  is  in  store  for  them  both.  She 
is  a  pearl  among  women,  and  there  are  points  in  Stillman's 
character  of  the  manliest  and  truest  I  know.  His  prospects 
are  at  present  however  very  uncertain.  .  .  . 

I  hope  that  when  you  get  my  book  you  will  agree  with  me 
as  to  the  justness  of  my  including  all  it  contains.  I  say  this 
because  there  are  a  few  things — and  notably  a  poem  called 
Jenny — which  will  raise  objections  in  some  quarters.  I  only 
know  that  they  have  been  written  neither  recklessly  nor 
aggressively  (moods  which  I  think  are  sure  to  result  in  the 
ruin  of  Art),  but  from  a  true  impulse  to  deal  with  subjects 
which  seem  to  me  capable  of  being  brought  rightly  within 
Art's  province.  Of  my  own  position  I  feel  sure,  and  so  wait 
the  final  result  without  apprehension. 

Our  friends  are  all  well,  with  the  exception,  I  most  deeply 
grieve  to  say,  of  Mrs  Morris,  who  is  still  in  a  very  delicate 
state.  She  and  Morris  have  been  in  this  neighbourhood 
lately,  and  are  coming  again  ;  and  I  trust  the  change  may 
prove  eventually  of  some  decided  benefit  to  her,  as  signs  of 
this  have  already  become  apparent. 

Good-bye,  my  dear  Norton.  I  am  going  for  my  walk  now 
in  a  pleasing  but  not  very  sympathetic  entotirage  of  leafless 
woods  and  English  associations  which  I  have  grown  old  in, 
but  am  never  perhaps  quite  at  home  with.  I  envy  you  your 
Italian  ones,  and  shall  be  very  glad  to  hear  more  of  the  study 
you  propose  to  undertake  of  Michelangelo's  unpublished 
letters.  I  hope  the  fit  of  queer  health  which  baulked  you  at 
the  outset  is  over  now,  and  that  you  and  yours  are  all  well. 
To  all  of  you  my  best  love,  and  the  assurance  that  I  am  ever 
yours  and  theirs, 

D.  G.  ROSSETTI. 


630 


ROSSETTI  PAPERS 


303. — Barone  Kirkup  to  William  Rossettl 

[Pietrocola  here  mentioned  was  (as  in  previous  instances) 
my  Cousin  Teodorico  Pietrocola-Rossetti.  As  to  "  Shelley's 
bed,"  or  sofa,  which  is  now  my  property,  I  may  give  its 
history  in  brief,  supplementing  the  few  remarks  made  in  my 
Diary  for  13  March  1870.  Shelley  bought  this  sofa  in  Pisa, 
when  he  was  furnishing  there.  I  believe  the  statement  made 
by  Trelawny,  that  it  was  bought  in  Leghorn  and  for  Leigh 
Hunt,  was  not  strictly  accurate.  I  always  used  to  hear  its 
material  called  "  Italian  walnut-wood " ;  but  was  of  late 
credibly  informed  that  it  is  beech-wood.  It  is  very  roomy 
and  fully  sufficient  to  serve  as  a  bed,  and  Trelawny  told 
me  that  Shelley  often  used  it  thus.  If  Shelley  left  it  in  Pisa 
in  1822,  instead  of  sending  it  off  to  Casa  Magni  near  Lerici  (a 
point  as  to  which  I  am  not  certain),  he  must  apparently  have 
slept  upon  it  the  last  night  of  his  life  :  for  that  night  was  spent 
in  Pisa,  and  on  the  following  morning  he  went  to  Leghorn,  and 
embarked  on  the  fatal  boat.  After  the  poet's  death  the  sofa 
remained  of  course  the  property  of  Mrs  Shelley.  She,  on 
leaving  Italy,  gave  it  to  Leigh  Hunt,  who  was  still  sojourning 
there.  He,  on  leaving,  gave  it  to  Charles  Armitage  Brown, 
the  friend  of  Keats.  From  him  (without,  I  think,  any  inter- 
mediate owner)  it  came  to  Kirkup.  He,  as  he  was  nearing 
his  death,  at  an  age  exceeding  ninety,  was  solicited  by 
Trelawny  to  send  the  sofa  over  to  him^  who  would  value  it, 
instead  of  leaving  it  to  take,  on  Kirkup's  decease,  its  chance 
as  so  much  ramshackle  furniture.  The  Barone  assented,  and 
dispatched  the  precious  relic  to  Trelawny.  He,  with  his 
wonted  and  abnormal  generosity,  abstained  from  housing  it 
in  his  own  residence,  and  forthwith  consigned  it  to  me ;  he 
remaining  the  legal  but  only  the  nominal  owner  up  to  his 
death  in  1881,  when  I,  by  his  gift,  entered  upon  full  rights  of 
possession. — Towards  the  close  of  his  letter,  Kirkup  speaks  of 
the  pomegranates  represented  in  Giotto's  portrait  of  Dante, 
and  he  seems  to  be  about  to  offer  an  explanation  of  them : 


BARONE  KIRKUP,  1870 


531 


but  the  explanation  does  not  conne — owing,  I  take  it,  to  lapse 
of  memory  on  his  part] 

2  PONTE  VECCHIO. 

24  April  1870. 

My  dear  Rossetti, —  ...  I  have  just  been  to  Pietrocola. 
He  is  looking  thinner,  but  is  perfectly  recovered  except  a  little 
weakness  in  his  legs,  which  will  soon  get  their  strength  again. 
I  think  his  house  is  too  close  and  confined.  .  .  .  Dark,  low 
rooms  on  a  ground-floor.    The  proverb  says, 

Erba  cruda, 

Donna  gnuda, 

O  stanza  terrena, 

A  corta  vita  mena.  .  .  . 

You  mention  Shelley's  bed.  It  was  that  sofa  on  which 
you  sat  with  me  in  this  room.  I  have  slept  for  months  on  it 
in  hopes  of  seeing  Shelley's  ghost.  I  have  had  so  many  here 
in  my  presence,  and  have  seen  them  four  times  only  in  their 
person,  but  innumerable  exploits  performed  by  them  abso- 
lutely impossible  by  human  agency.  .  .  . 

Did  I  tell  you  I  have  found  out  the  meaning  of  the  three 
pomegranates  in  the  hand  of  Giotto's  portrait  ?  Your  Father 
with  his  intuitive  sagacity,  guessed  that  they  related  to  the 
three  poems  {cantiche)^  and  he  was  right ;  but  why  that  fruit  in 
particular?  .  .  . 

Remember  me  to  Trelawny,  my  best  and  oldest  friend. 
He  is  a  younger  man  than  me ;  but  we  must  of  course  soon 
meet,  for  I  have  great  faith  in  another  world — not  that  of  the 
impostor  Alain  Kardec. — Believe  me,  with  true  affection, 
yours  ever, 

Seymour  Kirkup. 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


A 

Aali  Pacha,  412 

Academy,  1  he  (journal),  412,  518,  521, 

525.  528 
Acropolis,  Athens,  419 
Adelphi  Terrace,  London,  407 
Adourne,  Count,  38 
Adriatic  Sea,  the,  204 
yEschylus,  515 
Agen,  262 

Agnew,  Messrs,  268,  403,  479,  488,  496 

Agnew,  Miss  (see  Severn,  Mrs  Arthur) 

Ailsa  Crag,  202 

Airolo,  no 

Alban  Hills,  the,  212 

Albany  Street,  166,  London,  197,  224 

Albergo  dell'  Angelo,  Bellinzona,  no 

Albergo  d'ltalia,  Arona,  316 

Albergo  d'ltalia,  Brescia,  n8 

Albergo  d'ltalia,  Como,  ill 

Albenis,  De,  187,  188 

Alessandria,  217 

Alfieri,  Count,  239,  468 

Alford,  Dean,  517 

Algeria,  500 

Alighieri.  Jacopo,  249 

Alighieri,  Pietro,  2 16 

Allan,  Mr,  243 

Allingham,  Wm.,  x.,  xi.,  240,  274,  337, 
338 

Fifty  Modern  Poems  by,  90 
Nightingale  Valley,  collected  by,  402 

Alps,  the,  108,  114 

Ambler,  301 

Ambrosian  Library,  Milan,  115 
America,  177,  196,  235,  240,  300,  303, 

320,  380,  411,  412,  440,  513 
Ancona,  387 

Ancona,  Alessandro  d',  343 
Andermatt,  109,  iio 
Andersonville,  235 
Anfiteatro  Virgiliano,  Mantua,  312 
Angelico,  Fra,  118,  134 
Annunciation  by,  Il8 
533 


Anne  (servant),  395 
Annunziata,  451,  452 
Ansanti,  390 

Anthony,  W.  Mark,  29,  66 

Harvest-Field  ai  Sunset,  by,  66 

Anthropological  Society,  1  he,  303 

Antonelli,  Cardinal,  II 

Antonello  da  Messina,  105 
Portrait  by,  105 

Antwerp,  33,  35,  36,  37 

Antwerp  Cathedral,  34 

Antwerp  Museum,  33,  35 

Aquila,  425 

Aquila  d'Oro  Hotel,  Mantua,  311 
Arabian  Nights,  The,  369 
Arcivescovado,  Milan,  115 
Arena,  the,  Verona,  121,  313 
Arenberg,  Due  d',  32 
Armellini,  225 
Arnold,  Matthew,  233 
Arona,  316,  317 
Aroux,  E.,  182,  209,  288,  427 

Dante  Her^tique  etc.  by,  184 

Dante  translated  by,  184 

Francesca  da  Rimini  etc.  by,  182 
184 

Arrichetti  (Venice),  56 
Art-Journal,  The,  436 
Arundel  Club,  the,  London,  175 
Arundel  Society,  the,  344,  408 
Ashburnham,  Lord,  271 
Aspromonte,  118,  192 
Assisi,  434 

Athenaeum,  The,  193,  258,  356,  382 

398,  483,  484,  504,  516 
Athens,  378,  412 
Atlantic  Monthly,  The,  162,  235 
Atrium  Vestae,  Rome,  261 
Attenborough,  300 
Australia,  166,  194,  325 
Austria,  186,  204,  207,  213 
Avignon,  259 
Ayr,  453 
Ayrshire,  478 


534 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


B 

Baden,  Grand  Duchy  of,  126 

Bader,  Dr,  322,  370 

Baines,  325,  326 

Bale,  59,  106,  107,  108,  308 

Bale  Cathedral,  107,  108 

Bale  Museum,  108 

Balliol  College,  Oxford,  302,  378 

Bandello,  367 

Novelle  by,  367 
Bandiera,  Fratelli,  207,  208,  314 
Barbera,  490 
Barcelona,  319,  330 
Barge  Yard,  London,  435 
Bargoni,  509,  510 
Barlow,  Dr,  86,  87 

Barnet   Market- Place   (picture),  46, 
47 

Bartholoccius,  483 
Bassi,  Ugo,  225 
Batines,  De,  366 
Bayonne,  302 

Bear-Garden,  Southwark,  261 
Beckford,  Wm.,  369 

Vathek  by,  369 
Bedini,  225 

Belgium,  viii.,  31,  35,  38 
Bella  Giulietta,  La,  di  Mantova  (play), 
311 

Bellini,  Giovanni,  114,  138 
Pieta  by,  114 

Madonna  and  Child  (S.  Giovanni  e 
Paolo)  by,  315 
Bellinzona,  no,  ill 
Belloc,  Madame,  87,  88,  383 
Belvedere,  Kent,  165 
Bendy  she,  380 
Benedict,  Pope,  259 
Bergamo,  viii.,  58,  118,  120,  121 
Bergamo  Baptistery,  122 
Berlin,  37 
Bertini,  in 

Bewick,  Thomas,  179,  246 

Life  of,  179 
Bexley,  167 
Bianchi,  Bruno,  209 
Bianchi  (Venice),  56 
Bible,  The,  18,  36,  77 
Biche  au  Bois,  La  (play),  184 
Billot,  Dr,  177 

Recherches  Psychologiques  by,  177 
Bingley,  60 

Birmingham  Art  Gallery,  133 
Bishopgate,  Berks,  380 
Black  Forest,  the,  126 
Blackmore,  Mrs,  261 
Blake,  Mrs,  19,  41 


Blake,  Wm.,  viii.,  6,  15,  16,  17,  19  to  22, 
25,  40,  41,  42,  171,  172,  177,  178, 
180,  181,  182,  221,  229 
Blake,  Wm.     Worh  by — 
Africa,  6 
Ahania,  6 

Ancient  Britons,  170,  172,  178 
Ancient  of  Days,  19,  41 
Asia,  6 

Blair's  Grave,  Designs,  24,  171 

Canterbury  Pilgrimage,  23 

Dante  Designs,  17,  18 

Daughters  of  Albion,  19 

Descriptive  Catalogue,  24 

Elijah's  Chariot,  17 

Eve  and  Serpent,  17 

French  Revolution,  27,  41,  42 

Jerusalem,  42,  43,  234 

Last  Judgment,  24 

Marriage  of  Heaven  and  Hell,  6 

Mental  Traveller,  The,  19 

Nebuchadnezzar,  17 

Newton,  17 

Philips's  Pastoral  Designs,  20 
Pity  like  a  Newborn  Babe,  17 
Prophetic  Books,  27,  169 
Satan  in  Hell,  23,  24 
Saviour,  The,  17 
Song  of  Los,  6 
Spenser  Characters,  23,  24 
Tiriel,  27,  42 
Urizen,  24 

Visionary  Heads,  20 
Blamire,  40 
Blind,  Karl,  230 
Blind,  Mathilde,  261,402,447 

George  Eliot,  by,  523 
Blumenthal,  313,  316 
Boccaccio,  321 

Filostrato  by,  321,  326,  332 

Teseide  by,  339,  380 
Bodichon,  Dr,  500 

Bodichon,  Mrs,  81,  383,  499,  500,  501, 
528 

Bodley,  G.  F.,  221 
Bognor,  320 
Bologna,  120 

Bolsover  Street,  London,  396 
Bonaparte,  Cardinal,  388 
Bonaparte,  King  Joseph,  262 
Bonaparte,  King  Louis,  219 
Bonaparte,  Niccolo,  2l8 

La  Vedova  by,  218 
Bond,  229 
Bonham,  190 
Bonifazio  Veneziano,  117 
Bonnat,  185 

St  Vincent  de  Paul  by,  185 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


535 


Bonvicino  da  Riva,  Fra,  307 

Cortesie  della  Tavola  by,  307 
Borgo  Ticino  Church,  Pavia,  117 
Borgognone,  116 

St  Syrus  Enthroned  by,  Il6 
Boscombe,  375,  474,  514 
Botticelli,  Sandro,  8,  10,  228 

P'emale  Portrait  by,  228 
Boulevard  des  Capucines,  Paris,  130 
Boulevard  Hausmann,  Paris,  105 
Boulogne-sur-Mer,  318,  322,  360 
Bowman,  Sir  Wm.,  241,  329,  369,  418 
Boyce,  G.  P.,  54,  55,  66,  174,  231,  232, 
330 

Boyd,  Alice,  157,  158,  202,  237,  324, 

'  370,  412,  415,  452.  457 
Boyd,  Spencer,  157,  158 
Boyd,  Zachary,  237 

Dramas  by,  237 
Boydell's  Shakespear  Gallery,  363 
Boyle,  Hon.  Mrs,  199 
Bracknell,  447 
Braila,  Sir  Peter,  226 
Brera  Gallery,  Milan,  1 14,  246 
Brescia,  117,  119 
Brescia  Campo  Santo,  120 
Brescia  Cathedral,  118,  119 
Bressant.  238 

Brett,  John,  46,  142,  318,  380,  396 

Chepstow  Casrle  by,  139 
Bright,  John,  208,  394 
Brighton,  62,  156,  415 
Briguiboul,  32 

Castor  and  Pollux  by,  184 

Robespierre  Wounded  by,  32 
Brisbane,  412 

Early  Years  of  Alex.  Smith  by, -41 2 
Bristol  Gardens,  7,  London,  154 
British  Museum,  170,  176,  178,  193, 
219,  221,  229,  318,  319,  386,  392, 
400,  421,  432 
Broadway,  The  (magazine),  242,  243, 

245,  284,  296,  379 
Brockbank,  464 
Broletto,  Brescia,  118 
Broletto,  Como,  112 
Bronte,  Emily,  369 

Wuihering  Heights  by,  369 
Brookbank,  Shottermill,  37,  417 
Brookes,  Warwick,  298,  300,  301,  345 
Brougham,  Miss,  462 
Brown,   Charles  Armitage,  182,  183, 

366,  530 
Brown,  Dr  Samuel,  2io,  21 1 
Brown,  Emma,  49,  139,  173,  203,  268, 

328,  463,  465 
Brown,  Ford  Madox,  viii.,  ix.,  22,  46, 65, 
70,  78,  89,  139,  173,  197,  198,  199, 


203,  226,  233,  234,  239,  246,  253, 
256,  257,  272,  296,  304,  320,  326, 
327,  328,  330,  334,  335,  339,  379, 
383  to  386,  394,  396,  397,  402,  403, 
406,  414,  415,  428,  440,  450,  452, 

457,  464,  478,  479,  496,  499 
Brown,  Ford  Madox.     Wor^s  by — 
At  the  Opera,  139,  141 
Byron  Designs,  386 
Catalogue  of  his  Exhibited  Works, 
87 

Chaucer  at  Court  of  Edward  HI., 
132,  239 

Cordelia's  Portion,  197,  224,  371,415 
Don  Juan  and  Haidee,  415 
Elijah  and  the  Widow,  46,  139,  266, 
379 

Entombment,  The,  415,  464 
Head  of  Miss  Spartali,  402 
Head  of  Mrs  Bfown,  402 
Infant's  Repast,  The,  131,  132 
Jacob  and  Joseph's  Coat,  266,  371, 
464 

Last  (The)  of  England,  199,  371 

Old  Toothless,  46 

Romeo  and  Juliet,  226,  379 

Sardanapalus,  402 

Work  (picture),  97,  138,  139,  371 
Brown,  Lucy  {see  Rossetti,  Lucy) 
Brown,  Oliver  Madox,  ix.,  x.,  28,  29, 
199,  234,  256,  327,  329,  330,  362, 
396,  414,  464,  465,  493 

Exercise  by,  464 

Infant  Jason  and  the  Centaur  by, 

X.,  327,  361,  362,  379 
Obstinacy  by,  397 

Queen  Margaret  and  the  Robber  by, 
234,  256,  257 
Browning,  Elizabeth  B.,  81 

My  Heart  and  I,  by,  81 
Browning,  Miss,  299,  306 
Browning,  Robert,  29,  44,  179,  202, 
233,  243,  298,  299,  302,  306,  307, 
319,  339,  368,  378,  392,  400,  401, 
427,  429,  447,  449 
Bishop's  Tomb  at  St  Praxed's  by, 
388 

Men  and  Women  by,  349 
Paracelsus  by,  393 
Pauline  by,  299 

Ring  (The)  and  the  Book  by,  x.,  299, 
302,  380,  401 

Sordello  by,  313 
Browning,  Robert  Barrett,  302,  378 
Bruges,  38 
Bruges  Academy,  37 
Bruges  Townhall,  38 
Brussels,  31,  32,  33,  36 


536 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Brussels  Cathedral,  33 

Brussels  Museum  of  Paintings,  32,  33 

Brussoni,  Count,  120 

Bryant,  413 

Bryant,  W.  Cullen,  224 

Buchanan,  Robert,  xi.,  365,  504,  524,  525 

Buffalmacco,  II 

Bulgaris,  377 

Bunyan,  71 

Burci,  Dr,  .^89,  390,  436 
Burdon,  Miss,  404,  449 
Burges,  Wm.,  494 

Burlington  Club,  London,  ix.,  222,  226, 

230,  234,  235,  245,  338 
Burmister,  Rev.  Mr,  337 
Burne-Jones,  Lady,  13,  98,  231,  493, 

494 

Burne-Jones,  Sir  Edward,  13,  29,  65, 
138,  142,  157,  196,  221,  224,  230  to 
233,  246,  276,  277,  279,  280,  297, 
301,  303,  320,  347,  380,  383,  384, 
408,  493,  494,  495,  5oo,  512 
Adoration  of  the  Kings  by,  221 
Buondelmonte  by,  227 
Circe  by,  395 
Cupid  and  Psyche  by,  197 
Laus  Veneris  by,  227 
St  George  and  the  Dragon  by,  395 
Tannhaliser  Designs  by,  197 
Burns,  Robert,  505 
Burnside,  General,  28 
Burritt,  Elihu,  241 
Burroughs,  John,  230,  240,  283 

Notes  on  Walt  Whitman  by,  230, 
283,  284,  365,  509 
Burton  Crescent,  London,  412 
Burton,  Sir  Frederick,  368 
Burton,  Sir  Richard,  394,  407 
Butterworth,  132,  133 
Butts,  Thomas,  178 
Buxton,  Mrs,  404,  405 
Byron,  Lady,  401,  41 1,  467,  480 
Byron,  Lord,  x.,  159,  183,  381,  383,  38$, 
386,  400,  401,  406,  411,  426,  460, 
463,  465,  466,  467,  480,  499,  502, 
514 

Byron,  Mr,  406,  467 


C 

Cadore,  363 
Caff^  del  Greco,  Siena,  10 
Caif^  Sordello,  Mantua,  313 
Cagnotte,  La  (play),  54 
Calais,  31,  38,  104,  267,  268 
Calais  Museum,  31 
Calanda  Mountain,  124 


Calderon,  P.  H.,  306 

Call,  Mrs,  501 

Calvert,  297,  302 

Camerlata,  II2 

Cameron,  Consul,  394 

Cameron,  Julia  M.,  4,  201,  202,  336 

Camillus,  260 

Campaldino,  510 

Can  Grande  della  Scala,  348 

Canaletto,  438 

Cancellieri,  258 

Originality  di  Dante  by,  258 
Canova,  115 

Bust  of  Napoleon  by,  I15 
Canzio,  192 
Canzio,  Signora,  192 
Caprera,  187,  352,  354 
Carlisle,  Earl  of,  272 
Carlyle,  Mrs,  97 

Carlyle,  Thomas,  ix.,  30,  39,  40,  41,  97, 

225,  260,  263,  264,  355,  356 
Carmarthen,  Lady,  406,  467 
Carmine  Church,  Pavia,  1 17 
Caroline,  Queen,  112 
Cartledge,  194 

Cartledge's  Temperance   Hotel,  Mat- 
lock, 193 
Carwardine,  Major,  28 
Casa  Magni,  Lerici,  502,  530 
Casa,  Monsignor  della,  367 

Galateo  by,  367 
Casentino,  344 
Castel  Gandolfo,  ii 
Catty,  Colonel,  415,  416 
Catty,  Mr,  414,  415 
Catty,  Mrs,  414,  415,416 
Caulah,  260 

Cavendish  Square,  27,  London,  438 
Cavour,  73,  74,  1 13,  114,  117,  225 
Cayley,  C.  B.,  83,  84,  86,  102,  240,  318 
Cene  della  Chitarra,  490,  491 
Cerrigceinwen,  160 
Certosa,  Pavia,  115,  116 
Cervoles,  Arnauld  de,  259 
Chaillu,  P.  J.  du,  326 
Chalons-sur-Marne,  129 

Cathedral,  129 
Chalons-sur-Saone,  317 

Museum,  317 
Chambord,  Comte  de,  316,  438 
Champagne,  130 
Champaigne,  Philippe  de,  33 
Chaninah,  Rabbi,  486 
Chapman,  George  W.,  195,  227,  228, 

329,  495 
Chapman  and  Hall,  299 
Chappell,  220 
Chardin,  55 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


537 


Charles  le  Temeraire,  Monument  to,  38 
Chatham  Place,  14,  London,  viii.,  222, 
330 

Chaucer,  258,  339 

Knight's  Tale  by,  380 
Troylus  by,  321,  326,  332 

Chaucer  Society,  321 

Chelsea,  14 

Cheltenham,  374 

Chesneau,  Ernest,  334 

Cheyne  Walk,  16,  Chelsea,  viii.,  2,  12, 
13,  15,  202,  221,  224,  232,  233,  234, 
240,  243,  246,  301,  302,  308,  319, 
321,  326,  329,  331,  334,  335,  383, 
386,  406,  407,  410,  415,418,  439, 
441,  452.  500,  504,  505 

Chiavenna,  122,  123 

Chiesa  della  Morte,  Civita  Vecchia,  387 

Chinon,  259 

Chivers,  Dr,  180,  1 81 
Lost  Pleiad  etc.  by,  180 

Christ  Church,  Albany  Street,  London, 
526 

Christ  Church  College,  Oxford,  378 
Christchurch  (Hants),  514 
Christen,  109 

Christie  and  Co.,  40,  41,  227,  228,  298, 
302 

Chronicle,  The,  231,  237,  240,  270, 
285 

Church,  Mr,  270 

Cima  da  Conegliano,  389 

St  Jerome  in  Desert  by,  389 
Cino  da  Pistoia,  490,  491 
Citizen,  The  (newspaper),  270 
Ciullo  d'Alcamo,  3 
Civita  Vecchia,  289,  387,  388 
Clabburn,  Mr,  66,  67 
Clabburn,  Mrs,  67 
Clairmont,  Allegra,  500 
Clairmont,  Clare,  399,  500,  502 
Clairmont,  Paola,  502 
Clare  Market,  London,  425 
Clarendon  Press,  Oxford,  7 
Clarges  Street,  London,  226 
Clark  (builder),  301 
Clarke,  Sir  James,  255,  256 
Cleef,  Nicholas  van,  35 

Pictures  of  Antwerp  by,  35 
Clint,  George,  503,  516,  517 
Coblentz,  327 
Coire,  123,  125 
Coire  Cathedral,  123 
Cole,  Mrs  Lionel,  390,  397,  406,  435, 
448 

Coleridge,  S.  T.,  296,  305,  333,  499, 
504,  505 
Christabel  by,  296,  454 


Colet-Michel,  Perot,  129 

Christ  as  Man  of  Sorrows  by,  129 
Colico,  123 

Colleoni  Chapel,  Bergamo,  58 
Collingwood,  W.  G.,  303 

Life  of  Ruskin  by,  303 
Colnaghi,  228,  229 
Cologne,  404,  450 
Colonna,  Francesco,  176 

Hypnerotomachia  by,  176,  1 79 
Como,  III,  112,  186 
Como  Cattiedral,  iii,  112 
Como,  Lake  of,  112,  122 
Constable,  John,  325 
Constance,  109,  308 
Constant,  261,  262 

M^moires  sur  Napoleon  by,  261,  262 
Contemporary  Review,  The,  517 
Conlrada  del  Gambero,  Brescia,  1 18 
Contrada  Sordello,  Mantua,  313 
Conway,  Moncure,  230,  240,  243,  244, 
274,  283,  285,  286,  287,  297,  342, 
356,  413,  508 
Cook,  Eliza,  87,  88 
Cook,  Keningale,  406 

Purpose  and  Passion  by,  406 
Cooper,  T.  Sidney,  306 
Coppin,  Captain,  243 
Cornelia,  260 

Cornhill  Magazine,  The,  443 
Coroneos,  331,  333,  337,  338,  34^,  377, 
419 

Correggio,  31,  135,  136,  138,  317 
Madonna  and  Child  by,  31 

Corso  di  Porta  Nuova,  Milan,  114 

Corso  Vittorio  Emanuele,  Milan,  113 

Cosenza,  314 

Cotman,  J.  S.,  325 

Cotton,  Alderman,  336 

Courbet,  Gustave,  105,  184,  238 
Femme  au  Perroquet  by,  238 
Fawns  by  a  Stream  by,  238 
Hallali  au  Cerf  by,  238 
Proudhon  and  Family  by,  105 

Courtenay,  Catherine,  158 

Cowper,  Wm.,  504 

Cox,  David,  140,  233 

Coxcie,  Michael,  37 

Adoration  of  the  Spotless  Lamb,  by, 
37 

Cranach,  392 

Fall  of  Man  by,  392 
Cranbrook,  201 

Craven,  Frederick,  71,  90,  140,  197, 

391,  457,  458,  478 
Creswick,  Thomas,  4,  232 
Crete,  x.,  222,  226,  274,  299,  333,  412, 

4H>  419 


538 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Critchett,  Dr,  328,  329,  504 
Croce  Bianca  Hotel,  Pavia,  116 
Croce  di  Malta  Hotel,  Lecco,  122 
Crome,  John,  305 

Moonrise,  by,  325 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  260,  261,  425 
Cross,  John,  154,  155,  156 

Coeur  de  Lion  by,  154,  155 
Cruikshank,  George,  198,  232,  300 

Worship  of  Bacchus  by,  300 
Cruikshank,  Mrs,  300 
Curran,  Miss,  399 

Portrait  of  Miss  Clairmont  by,  399 

Portrait  of  Mrs   Shelley   by,  399, 
408 

Portrait  of  Shelley  by,  399,  474,  503, 

514,  515,  517 
Custozza,  309,  387 


D 

Dachsen,  124 
Dailly,  237 

Daily  News,  The,  499 

Daily  Telegraph,  The,  226,  235,  393, 

398,  4Q8 
Dallas,  E.  S.,  417 

The  Gay  Science  by,  417 
Dalrymple,  Lady,  105,  202 
Damascus,  246,  259 
Dance  of  Death,  Lucerne,  108 
Dannreuther,  Mrs,  229 
Dante,  ix.,  10, 18,  80,  132,  170,  183,  209, 
215,  219,  226,  236,  247  to  250,  254, 
343,  348,  351,  352,  397,  398 
Convito  by,  344 
De  Monarchia  by,  351 
Divine  Comedy  by,  74,  80,  85,  86, 

90,  216,  344,  351 
Lord  Vernon's  Edition  of,  448,  480 
Vita  Nuova  by,  80,  291 
Daphne,  Mr,  425,  426 
Davenport  Brothers,  the,  68,  69,  168, 
177 

David,  Gerard,  38 

Cambyses  and  Unjust  Judge  by,  38 
David,  J.  L.,  55,  179,  232,  427 

Madame  Recamier  by,  55 
David,  King,  260 
Davies,  Wm.,  163 

Pilgrimage  of  the  Tiber  by,  163 
Day  and  Son,  227 
Dazeglio,  308 
De  Hooghe,  35 
Deacon,  390,  435 
Deagostini,  411 
Decamps,  232 


Delacroix,  Eugene,  54,  232 
Education  of  Achilles  by,  55 
Heliodorus  by,  54 
Herodotus  and  Magi  by,  55 
Hesiod  and  Pythoness  by,  55 
Jacob  wrestling  with  the  Angel  by, 
54 

Michael  and  Satan  by,  54 
Delaroche,  Paul,  427 
Delaunay,  238 
Delli,  Dello,  308 
Derar,  260 
Derby,  Earl  of,  204 
Dessoye,  Madame,  55,  105,  130,  238 
Deverell,  Miss,  507 

Deverell,  Walter  H.,  68,  70,  210,  212, 
506 

Banishment  of  Hamlet  by,  506,  507 

Irish  Beggars  by,  506,  507 
Devil's  Bridge,  St  Gothard,  109 
Devil's  Punch-bowl,  Girvan,  238 
Devonshire,  273 
Devonshire,  Duke  of,  272 
Dickins,  Mrs,  336 
Dieppe,  54,  59,  131 

Dilberoglue,  Stauros,  ix.,  222,  252,  296, 
331,  333,  336,  337,  338,  340,  378, 
396,  413 

Dixon,  J.  H.,  418 

Dixon,  Mrs,  340,  341 

Dixon.  Thomas,  179,  180,  263,  340 

Dixon,  W.  Hepworth,  327 

Dodgson,  Rev.  C.  L.,  236 

Doeg,  408 

Doellini?er  and  Klee,  416 

Janus  by,  416 
Dolby,  Miss,  384 
Domnewa,  261 

Don  Saltero's  Tavern,  Chelsea,  301 
Donatello,  190 

Virgin  and  Child  by,  39 1 
Donders,  369 
Donne,  John,  378 

Metempsychosis  by,  378 
Donnet,  321 

Dore,  Gustave,  242,  319 
Dover,  31 

Dover  Street,  London,  412 
Dowden,  Prof.,  xi.,  517 

Essay  on  Whitman  by,  xi.,  517,  519 
Downey,  136,  137,  138 
Dreux,  259 
Dublin,  90 

Dat  lin  University,  518 

Ducal  Palace,  Venice,  315 

Dudley  Gallery,  London,  224,  329,  361, 

379^  440 
Due  Macelli,  Via  de',  Rome,  388 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


539 


Duffy,  Dr,  389,  390,  391,  435,  436 
Dumas,  Alexandre,  190 
Dumas  Fils,  104 

Dunlop,  Walter,  viii.,  ix.,  60,  61,  144  to 

147,  150,  151 
Dunn,  H.  Treffry,  233,  272,  321,  322, 

326,  329,  407,  504,  527 
Duomo  Nuovo,  Brescia,  118 
Durer,  Albert,  138,  353 
Durham,  Arthur,  323 
Durham  (County),  523 


E 


Early  English  Text  Society,  199 
Eastlake,  Sir  C.  L.,  178,  179,  288, 

427 
Eastwood,  7 
Eckley,  Mrs,  392 

Eco  di  Savonarola  (magazine),  1 18 

Edinburgh,  198 

Egbright,  King,  261 

Egham,  380 

Egypt,  128,  259 

Elgin  Road,  London,  157,  158 

Elise,  500 

Elliot  and  Fry,  227 

Ellis,  F.  S.,  297,  383,  408,  495,  498, 

499,  500,  512 
Emek  Hamelek,  485,  486 
Emerson,  R.  W.,  240,  296,  386,  508 

Lecture  on  Plato  by,  296 
Emma  (servant),  467,  468 
Ems,  403,  458,  463 
Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  261 
Endsleigh  Gardens,  5,  London,  ix,,  231, 

236,  240,  241,  246,  298,  305,  320, 

326,  327,  328,  330,  334,  338,  339. 

378,  384,  408,  414,  498 
England,  27,  46,  52,  177,  227,  232, 

483,  513 
English  Dictionary  (Oxford),  6 
Enson,  46 

Ertborn   (Van)   Collection,  Antwerp, 
34 

Esdaile,  Mrs,  374 
Eton  School,  522,  523 
Etoniana,  522 
Etretat,  335 

Euston    Square,   56    {see  Endsleigh 

Gardens,  5) 
Evans,  16 

Examiner,  The,  179,  193 
Exposition,  Paris,  104,  105,  184,  228, 
232 

Eyre,  Edw.  J.,  225 


F 

Faber,  523 
Faenza,  354 
Faido,  no 
Faithfull,  Emily,  82 
Falerii,  260 

Famiglia  (La)  del  Condannato  (play), 
56 

Family  Herald,  The,  160 
Faruffini,  184 

Machiavel  and  Caesar  Borgia  by,  184 
Favart,  Madame,  104,  238 
Felix  (Hermit),  259 
Fenice  Theatre,  Venice,  57 
Ferdinand  \.  (Naples),  204 
Ferdinand  H.  (Do.),  317 
Ferguson,  16 
Ferney,  317 
Ferrari,  Gaudenzio,  in 

Ancona  by,  317 
Ferretti,  Salvatore,  118 
Fiamma,  372 

Life  of  Tasso,  by,  372 
Ficino,  Marsilio,  258 
Field  Place,  Sussex,  375 
Fields,  180,  181,  512 
Fiesole,  256 
Fighisino,  118,  120 

Fine  Arts  Quarterly  Review,  44,  48, 
227 

Flaxman,  John,  178,  448 

Fleet  Street,  London,  258 

Floral  Hall,  London,  227 

Florence,  85,  91,  170,  177,  182,  183, 
187,  200,  208,  212,  216,  217,  225, 
241,  250,  254,  305,  321,  327,  343, 
368,  378,  382,  388,  393,  397,  434, 
502,  506,  510,  S12,  513,  528 

Florence  Cathedral,  308 

Fluelen,  109 

Folgore  da  San  Gemignano,  491 
Sonnets  on  the  Months  by,  491 

Foligno,  434 

Ford,  Mr,  379 

Ford,  Prebendary,  102,  378 

Dante's  Comedia  translated  by,  378, 
379 

Foreign  Office  (England),  326 
Forli,  Melozzo  da.  III 
Forman,  H.  Buxton,  378 

Shelley,  edited  by,  416,  432 

The  Rossettis  by,  404,  458 
Forster,  John  368,  401,  427,  449 

Life  of  Lan  lor  by,  401,  446 
Fortnightly  Review,  The,  226,  233,  301, 
305,  33^  380,  413,  430,  504,  517, 
518,  525,  528 
Foster,  Birket,  222,  233 


540 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Fox,  Charles  J.,  271,  272 
Fraissinet,  387 

France,  177,  204,  215,  227,  232,  310, 
426 

Francis,  J.  Deffett,  404,  405 
Francis  II.  (Naples),  11,  317 
Franciscan  Church,  Freiburg,  127 
Franklin,  Admiral  Sir  John,  243 
Franklin,  Lady,  243 
Fraser's  Magazine,  viii.,  15,  26,  39,  63, 

197,  214,  365,  377,  392,  525 
Freckelton,  402 
Freiburg  (Baden),  125,  126 
Freiburg  Cathedral,  126,  127 
Freiburg  Townhall,  126 
Frere,  J.  Hookham,  182,  183 
Frescobaldi,  Dino,  491 
Frescobaldi,  Matteo,  490,  491  _ 
Freshwater  Bay,  202 
Frith,  W.  P.,  loi,  268 

Charles  II.'s  Last  Sunday  by,  268, 
269 

Froude,  J.  A.,  viii.,  15,  39,  63,  377 
Fulham  Road,  London,  231 
Furnivall,  Dr,  304,  307,  308,  321,  327, 

339,  380 
Furnivall,  Mr,  380 
Fuseli,  Henry,  24,  178 

Lycidas  by,  300 

Isighimare  (The)  by,  300 


G 

G.,  141,  144 

Gabriel,  Virginia,  340 
Gainsborough,  Thomas,  138,  239,  305 

Portrait  of  Lady  Ligonier  by,  239 
Galaxy,  The  (magazine),  270 
Galileo,  448 

Galleria  Vittorio  Emanuele,  Milan,  316 

Gamba,  372 

Testi  di  Lingua  by,  372 

Gamba,  Count  Pietro,  355 

Gambart,  Ernest,  2,  46,  47,  60,  61,  loi, 
139,  164,  271 

Ganko,  500,  505 

Gardener,  Colonel,  72 

Gardiner,  S.  R.,  260 

Oliver  Cromwell  by,  260,  261 

Garibaldi,  Giuseppe,  10,  ii,  56,  iii, 
117,  118,  122,  123,  187,  192,  196, 
208,  216,  230,  231,  248,  250,  254, 
272,  289,  310,  316,  317,  352,  371 

Garibaldi,  Menotti,  316 

Garibaldi,  Ricciotti,  316 

Garnett,  Dr  Richard,  x.,  332,  333,  382, 
385,  386,  392,  397,  399,  400,  410, 
429.  430,  431 


Garrick  Club,  London,  87,  89,  lOO,  loi 
Gavazzi,  225 

General  Abbatucci  (ship),  186 
Genoa,  187,  190,  191,  192 
Gentleman's  Magazine,  The,  425 
George  III.,  425 
George  IV.,  337 

George,  King  of  Greece,  377,  419 
Georgia,  U.S.A.,  180 
Gerard,  427 

Germ,  The  (magazine),  490 

Germany,  310,  485 

Ghent,  31,  36,  37,  450 

Ghent  Academy,  37 

Ghent  Museum,  37 

Giardino  Pubblico,  Brescia,  1 20 

Giardino  Pubblico,  Milan,  112,  115 

Giardino  Pubblico,  Veni  e,  438 

Gilbert,  W.  S.,  267 

Bab  Ballads  by,  267 
Gilchrist,  Alexander,  5,  19,  20,  21,  41 

Life  of  Blake  by,  viii.,  5,  6,  16,  21,  25, 
40,41,43,  169, 170,  171,  182,  362 
Gilchrist.  Herbert,  6 

Anne  Gilchrist,  Life  etc.  by,  6 
Gilchrist,  Mrs,  viii.,  x.,  5,  6,  16,  40,  42, 

384,403,404,411,417,418,459, 460 
Letters  on  Walt  Whitman  by,  408 

4",  415 
Ginnasi,  Count  Ladislas,  354,  355 
Gioia,  367 

Galateo  by,  367 
Giorgione.  33,  512,  513 

Malatesta  and  Pilgrim  by,  389 
Giotto,  II 

Pisa  Frescoes  by,  ii,  12 

Portrait  of  Dante  by,  92,  249,  343, 

509,  531 
Giraldi,  367 

Girardin,  Emile  de,  104 

Supplice  d'une  Femme  by,  104 
Girodet,  427 
Girolamo  dai  Libri,  119 
Girtin,  Thomas,  325 
Gisborne,  Maria,  386,  432,  450,  451 
Gisborne,  Mr,  432 
Giudecca,  La,  56 
Giulio  Romano,  31 1 
Giuseppe,  451,  452 
Giusti,  Giuseppe,  8,  215,  216 
Gladstone,  W.  E.,  17,  332 
Glasgow,  210,  414,  487,  488 
Globe,  The  (newspaper),  506 
Gloucester,  340 

Godefroi,  Bishop  of  Amiens,  259 
Godfrey,  Dan,  220 
Godiva,  341 
Gonthier,  Pere,  263 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


541 


Godwin,  Mrs  (Clairmont),  447 
Godwin,  Mrs  (Wollstonecraft),  514 
Godwin,  Wm.,  447 
Goethe,  520 

Good  Words  (magazine),  302 
Goodall,  Dr  Joseph,  522 
Goodwin,  Albert,  415 
Gordon  (Jamaica),  225 
Gordon  (senior),  225 
Goss,  Captain,  22 
Goya,  500 

Etchings  by,  500 
Gozzoli,  II 

Annunciation  (Pisa)  by,  12 
Graham,  Edward,  392 
Graham,  Lorimer,  200 
Graham,  Sir  James,  207,  208 
Graham,  Wm.,  x.,  304,  327,  350,  472, 

478,  479,  486 
Grand  Canal,  Venice,  56 
Grande  Place,  Brussels,  32 
Grange  (The),  North  End,  Fulham, 
301 

Grant,  General,  53 

Greece,  227,  252 

Grey,  Mr,  196 

Grey,  Mrs,  196 

Griffith,  Dr,  523 

Griset,  Ernest,  67,  68,  69,  72 

Gros,  Baron,  427 

Grove,  Harriet,  474 

Grove,  Rev.  Charles,  474 

Guasti,  397 

Gubbio,  344 

Guerin,  427 

Guiccioli,  Countess,  355,  514 
Guinicelli,  Guido,  491 
Gull,  Sir  Wm.,  322,  324 
Guppy,  Mrs,  298,  304 
Gutenberg  Statue,  Strasburg,  127 


H 

H.,  464,  465 

H.  (G.),  464,  465 

Haden,  Sir  Seymour,  234,  235 

Haines,  Wm.,  viii.,  20,  21 

Hake,  Dr,  x.,  410,  418,  470 

Madeline  by,  417,  418 

Vates  by,  410,  470 

World's  Epitaph  by,  410 
Hallam,  Arthur,  392 

Remarks  on  Gabriele  Rossetti  by, 
392 

Halliday,  Michael,  293,  295,  296,  297, 

331,  395,  396,  444 
Hamel,  Ernest,  258 

Histoire  de  Robespierre  by,  258 


Hamerton,  P.  G.,  44,  70,  306 
Isles  of  Loch  Awe  by,  44,  70 
Reaction  from  Prasraphaelitism  by, 
48 

River  Yonne  by,  49 
Sens  from  the  Vineyards  by,  49 
Theories  Artistiques  en  Angleterre 
by,  45,  48 

Hamilton,  Mr,  302,  303,  350 

Hammersmith  Terrace,  10,  198 

Hannay,  James,  319,  330 

Hannay,  Mrs,  330 

Hannay,  Mrs  Margaret,  168 

Hapsburg,  Countess  of,  108 

Harding,  J.  D.,  263,  264 

Hare,  Dr,  501 

Harlan,  243 

Harrison,  198 

Harrow  School,  297 

Harvard,  1 81 

Haslemere,  385 

Hastings,  72,  81 

Hastings,  Warren,  272 

Hatfield  Park,  327 

Havelock,  General,  72 

Havering,  293 

Haydon,  B.  R.,  173,  179 

Haynes,  Mrs,  399 

Heaton,  J.  Aldam,  5,  60,  61,  144,  146, 
150 

Heaton,  Miss,  295 
Heimann,  Charles,  324 
Heimann,  Dr,  72,  87,  324 
Heimann,  Misses,  105 
Heimann,  Mrs,  72,  73 
Helps,  Sir  Arthur,  200 

Essays  in  Intervals  of  Business  by, 
200 

Henri  III.,  260 

Henri  IV.,  262,  263 

Henry  V.,  259 

Herod,  King,  260 

Heugh,  John,  ix.,  144,  147,  152 

Hewi,  159 

Highgate  Cemetery,  168 
Hilliard,  Miss,  196,  198 
Hine,  Henry,  173,  174,  175 
Hiogo,  324 
Hirsch,  191 
Hirsch,  Madame,  191 
Hitchener,  Miss,  404,  405 
Hogarth,  Wm.,  239,  393 

Portrait  of  Thornhill  by,  3^7 
Hogarth  Club,  441 
Hogarth's  Gate,  Calais,  31 
Hogg,  Mr,  382 

Hogg,  Mrs,  373,  382,  398,  399,  4C2, 
501,  502,  503 


542 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Hogg,  T.  Jefferson,  332,  405,  5oi,  5o3, 
510 

Life  of  Shelley,  by,  332,  334,  375, 
382,  405,  409,  447,  501 
Hokusai,  105,  130,  339 
Holbein,  108,  135,  393,  423 

Works  at  Bale  by,  108 
Holiday,  Henry,  277 
Holland,  James,  253 
Holman-Hunt,  Cyril,  225,  298,  301 
Holman-Hunt,  Mrs,  199,  200,  212,  225, 
382 

Holman-Hunt,  Wm,,  30,  44,  46,  loi, 
189,  200,  203,  212,  225,  241,  246, 
254,  255,  296,  298,  301,  303,  321, 
325,  328,  382,  389,  390,  391,  434, 
435,  480,  510 
Afterglow  in  Egypt  by,  269 
Bianca  (Taming  of  the  Shrew)  by, 
,391 

Christ  in  the  Temple  by,  396 
Designs  for  Tennyson  by,  30 
Isabella  and  the  Pot  of  Basil  by, 

241,  246,  298,  304 
London  Bridge  by,  305 
Moonlight  at  Salerno  by,  395 
Portrait  of  Edith  Waugh  by,  305 
Portrait  of  Himself  by,  298 
Portrait  of  Mrs  Holman-Hunt  by, 

305 

Portrait  of  Mrs  Waugh  by,  298,  305 
Holm  wood,  Shiplake,  220,  221,  335, 

407,  410,  504 
Hoist,  Mrs,  404 

Holy  Sepulchre  Church,  Bruges,  38 
Home,  Mr,  177,  179,  251,  255,  353, 
355 

Homer,  229,  476 

Iliad  by,  229,  332 

Odyssey  by,  258 
Hood,  Thomas,  76 
Hooghe,  De,  35 
Hook,  W.  C,  297 
Hookham,  401,  447 
Hooper,  Mrs,  261 
Horace,  218 

Ars  Poetica  by,  218 
Home,  R.  H.,  261 

Life  of  Napoleon  by,  261 
Horsham,  393,  447 
Hospital  of  St  John,  Bruges,  37 
Hotel  Cavour,  Milan,  112,  316 
Hotel  d'ltalia,  Bergamo,  122 
Hotel  Danieli,  Venice,  313 
Hotel  de  Choiseul,  Paris,  54 
Hotel  de  Cluny,  Paris,  131 
Hotel  de  Flandres,  Brussels,  31 
Hotel  de  TEurope,  Langres,  106 


Hotel  de  la  Cloche  d'Or,  Chalons, 
129 

Hotel  de  la  Couronne,  Schaffhausen, 
125 

Hotel  de  la  Maison  Rouge,  Strasburg, 
127 

Hotel  de  Normandie,  Paris,  104,  130 
Hotel  de  Russie,  Naples,  187 
Hotel  de  Ville,  Antwerp,  34,  35 
Hotel  de  Ville,  Brussels,  32 
Hotel  de  Ville,  Paris,  54 
Hotel  Dessin,  Calais,  31,  38 
Hotel  du  Commerce,  Bruges,  37 
Hotel  du  Cygne,  Martigny,  317 
Plotel  du  Grand  Laboureur,  Antwerp, 
35 

Hotel  du  Sauvage,  Bale,  I07,  109 
Hotel  Due  Torri,  Verona,  121 
Hotel  Garni  Sandwith,  Venice,  313 
Hotel  Lukmanier,  Coire,  123 
Hotten,  J.  Camden,  192  to  195,  197, 
199,  200,  206,  224,  234,  239,  240, 

242,  243,  244,  274,  286,  287,  297, 
305,  306,  308,  320,  342,  380 

Houghton,  A.  Boyd,  195,  196,  223,  242, 

243,  244,  284,  380,  381 
Arabian  Nights  Designs  by,  196 

Houghton,  Lord,  171,  230 

Howard,  Lady  Isabella,  98 

Howell,  Charles  A.,  loi,  195,  196,  198, 
222,  225,  227,  230  to  233,  236,  238, 
240,  246,  267,  297,  300,  302,  303, 
320,  321,  322,  328,  334,  339,  360, 
361,  380,  383,  394,  407,  495 

Howell,  Mrs,  236 

Howitt,  Vv^m.,  516 

Howitt- Watts,  Anna  Mary,  218,  219 
Hueffer,  Catherine,  199,  362 

At  the  Opera  by,  393 

Portrait  of  Madox  Brown  by,  463, 
464 

Portrait  of  Miss  Epps  by,  379 
Portrait  of  Mrs  Madox  Brown  by, 
464,  S04 

Hueffer,  Ford  M.,  173 

Cinque  Ports  (The)  by,  261 
F.  M.  Brown  by,  173,  253,  493 

Hueffer,  Franz,  492,  496 

Hughes,  Arthur,  139,  223,  494 
Belle  Dame  sans  Merci  by,  139 
Enoch  Arden  Designs  by,  381 

Hugo,  Victor,  226,  335,  402,  407,  498 
Hernani  by,  238 
L'Homme  qui  Rit  by,  395 

HuUah,  John,  337 

Humbert,  King,  114,  1 15,  310 

Humphrey,  Ozias,  24 

Hunt,  Alfred  W.,  232 


iiSTDEX  OF  NAMES 


543 


Hunt,  Leigh,  179,  183,  336,  373,  399, 
402,  474,  501,  510,  514,  530 
Correspondence  of,  392 
Hunt,  Mrs  Alfred  W.,  232,  233 
Hunt,  Mrs  Leigh,  402 
Hunt,  Thornton,  235,  399,  503 
Hunt,  Wm.  Henry,  140 
Hunter  Street,  London,  240 
Huth,  338 

I 

Illustrated  London  News,  The, 
55 

Inchbold,  J.  W.,  8,  9,  64,  65,  380,  396, 
495 

Porto  del  Mare,  \^enice,  by,  438 

Stonehenge  by,  438,  439 

Venice  by.  439 
Ind,  Coope,  &  Co.,  280 
Independance  Beige,  La,  12 
Index  Librorum  Prohibitorum,  351 
India,  196,  239 

Ingelow,  Jean,  70,  81,  82,  84,  88,  95, 

227,  247,  379 
Ingelow,  Mr,  95 
Ingres,  232,  427 

Inland  Revenue  Office,  London,  165 
Intellectual  Repository,  The,  516 
International  Exhibition,  1862,  3,  5, 
.54 

lonides,  Alecco,  226 

lonides,  Constantine,  318 

lonides,  Miss  {see  Dannreuther,  Mrs) 

lonides  (Senior),  229 

Ireland,  334 

Isle  of  Wight,  326,  385 

Italy,  viii.,  ix.,  x.,  II,  13,  95,  127,  208, 

215,  216,  218,  225,  231,  246,  289, 

310,  360 


J 

Jamaica,  225 

James  I.  of  Scotland,  237 

The  King's  Quair  by,  237 
James  II.,  71 
James,  Sir  Walter,  346 
Jameson,  Mrs,  401 
Jamrach,  242,  407 
Japan,  130,  138,  400 
Jardin  de  Zoologie,  Antwerp,  36 
Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris,  130 
Jardin  Zoologique,  Marseilles,  185 
Jarves,  J.  J.,  389 


Jarves,  Mrs,  389 
Jeckyll,  245 
Jeffery,  210,  213 
Jena,  261 

Jenner  (Edinburgh),  324 
Jenner,  Sir  Wm.,  96,  297,  324,  410, 
417 

Jerusalem,  189,  225,  241,  389 
Johnson  (Manchester),  300 
Johnson,  President,  419 
Jolly  (Actor),  32 
Jones,  Elbenezer,  323 

Studies  of  Sensation  and  Event  by, 
323 

Jopling,  Joseph,  224 

Lady  Maggie  by,  224 
jordaens,  32 

Josephine,  Empress,  262 
Josephus,  260 

Antiquities  of  the  Jews  by,  260 
Jungfrau,  The,  125 


K 

Kaled,  260 
Kardec,  Alain,  531 
Keate,  Dr,  522,  523 

Keats,  John,  30,  182,  366,  381,  402, 

499.  505 
Isabella  by,  99 
Keeling,  337 
Keightley,  Misses,  166 
Keightley,  Mrs  Wm.  S.,  166 
Keightley,  Thomas,  79,  165,  170,  171, 
172 

Milton,  edited  by,  80 

Shakespear  Expositor  b}^,  79,  80 
Keightley,  Wm.  S.,  166 
Kent,  Charles,  351 

Review  of  Whitman  by,  351 
Kilkerran  Castle,  238 
Kilmarnock,  453 
King's  College,  London,  183 
Kipling,  Mrs,  98,  99 
Kipling,  Rudyard,  98 
Kirke,  Colonel,  71,  72 
Kirkup,  Barone,  ix.,  170,  176,  215,  218, 
226,  236,  313,  326,  367,  388,  391, 

435,  501,  530 
Portrait  of  Lady  Jane  Swinburne  by, 
221 

Kirkup,  Miss,  183,  248,  249,  252,  352 
to  353 

Kleber  Statue,  Strasburg,  127 
Knewstub,  W.  J.,  14,  15,  223,497 
Knight,  Joseph,  228,415,  504 
Knight,  Mrs,  228 


544 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


L 

La  Faroe,  John,  304 
Browning's     Men     and  Women, 

Designs  by,  349 
Enoch  Arden,  Designs  by,  349 
Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin  by,  304,  306, 
349 

Wolf-charmer  (The),  by,  349 
Lago  di  Garda,  120 
Lago  Maggiore,  11 1,  317 
Lamb,  Charles,  258 
Lambron,  105 

Virgin  and  Child  by,  105 
Landor,  Walter  S,,  183,  368,  449 
Langres,  106 

Langres  Cathedral,  106,  107 
Langres  Museum,  107 
Lannes,  Marshal,  261 
Lansdowne,  Marquis  of,  204 
Lasinio,  Paolo,  449 
Latini,  Brunette,  3 
Lauffenburg,  126 
Layers  and  Barraud,  277 
Layard,  A.  H.,  336 
Leader,  J.  Temple,  288,  353,  398 
Lear,  Edward,  493 

Book  of  Nonsense  by,  493 
Leathart,  James,  ix.,  14,  66,  265 
Leatherhead,  336 
Lecco,  122,  123,  309,  311 
Ledru-Rollin,  402 
Lee,  General,  358 
Leeds,  329 

Leeds  Exhibition,  295,  296,  371 
Leghorn,  11,  187,  204,  501,  530 
Legros,  Alphonse,  67,  227,  232,  318 

Amende  Honorable  by,  318 

Ex  Vote  by,  318 

Martyrdom  of  St  Sebastian  by,  318 
Portrait  of  Burne-Jones  b}^,  318 
St  Stephen  by,  318 

Legros,  Mrs,  82 

Leifchild,  Franklin,  240 

Leigh,  Hon.  Mr,  411 

Leigh,   Hon.    Mrs,  406,    411,  465, 
467 

Leigh,  Medora,  411 
Leighton,  Lord,  222,  230 
Leismann,  503 

Portrait  of  Himself  by,  503 
Lempriere's  Classical  Dictionary,  456 
Leonardo  Aretino,  215,  254 

Life  of  Dante  by,  251 
Leopold,  Grand  Duke,  204,  208 
Lerici,  240 

Leslie,  C.  R.,  242,  499 
Autobiography  of,  242 


Lesueur,  33 

St  Bruno  by,  33 
Lewes,  G.  H.,  336,  372,  373,  382,  383 
Lewes,  Mrs,  382,  383,  523 
Lewis,  J.  F.,  325 

Lion  and  Lioness  by,  325 
Lewis,  Mrs,  390,  435 
Leyland,  F.  R.,  224,  239,  243,  244, 
266,  271,  302,  307,  308,  320,  321, 
350,  407 
Leys,  Baron,  5,  32,  34,  463,  464 
Lido,  The  (Venice),  438 
Li^ge,  Bishop  of,  259 
Lille,  38 
Lima,  196 
Limerick,  57 

Lincoln,  President,  181,  240,  319 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  viii. 
Lindsey  Row,  Chelsea,  222 
Linnell,  John  (Junior),  viii.,  17 
Linnell,  John  (Senior),  17,  20,  21,  27, 
43 

Linton,  W.  J.,  196,  240,  241,  391,  440 
History  of  Wood-engraving  by,  240, 
246 

Lippi,  Lippo,  10,  105 

Virgin  and  Child  by,  105 
Liston,  210 

Literary  Gazette,  The,  400 

Little  Holland  House,  London,  201,  202 

Littledale,  Dr,  239,  416 

Liverati,  C.  E.,  176,  205 

Portrait  of  Gabriele  Rossetti  by,  176, 
178,  205,  353 
Liverpool,  2,  304 
Livingstone,  Dr,  325,  326 
Livingstone,  Mr,  326 
Livy,  260 

Llandaff  Cathedral,  50,  209 
Llangollen,  515 
Llanos,  Mrs,  503 
Lloyd's  Newspaper,  351 
Loader,  223 

Locker-Lampson,  Frederick,  392,  41 1, 

412,  413,  491 
Lodovico  il  Moro,  116 
Lombardi,  1 20 
Lombardy,  122 

London,  5,  39,  59,  68,  189,  192,  238, 

319,  340>  391,  412,  450,  479.  500 
Longfellow,  H.  W.,  91,  102,  319,  381, 

385,  386,  402,  512 
Dante  translated  by,  91,  237,  258 
Lonsdale,  Mrs,  503 
Losh,  Miss,  452,  455,  4S7 
Louis,  St,  259 
Louis  XL,  259 
Louis  XIV.,  262 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


545 


Louis  XVI.,  109,  130,  258,  271,  272 
Louis  XVIIL,  31 
Louis  Philippe,  King,  123,  513 
Louvre,  The,  55,  105 
Lowe,  Sir  Hudson,  221 
Lowell,  J.  Russell,  168,  169,  180,  181, 
459 

Lucas,  Samuel,  87,  88 
Lucerne,  106,  108,  109 
Lucerne  Cathedral,  108 
Lucerne,  Lake  of,  411 
Ludlow,  Mrs,  81,  82 
Ludwigshohe,  Freiburg,  127 
Ludwigskirche,  Freiburg,  127 
Lugano,  ill 
Lugano  Cathedral,  ill 
Lugano,  Lake  of.  III 
Luini,  Bernardino,  III,  316 

Christ  in  the  Desert  by,  115 

Egyptians  in  Red  Sea  by,  115 

Padre  Eterno  by,  115 

Virgin  and  Child  and  St  Jerome  by, 
III 

Virgin,  Child,  and  Saints,  by,  1 14 

Vulcan's  Forge  by,  115 

Women  Bathing  by,  1 1 5 
Lupi,  Sancio,  259 
Lush,  Mr,  193 
Luxembourg  Gallery,  318 
Lyell,  Charles,  176,  178 
Lymouth,  261 
Lyon,  Mrs,  255,  353 
Lyra  Mystica,  76,  84 
Lyster,  A.  C.,  165,  166,  167,  303 
Lyster,  Misses,  166,  167 
Lyster,  Mrs,  166 
Lytton,  Lord,  462 


M 

MacClintock,  Admiral,  243 
MacConnel,  345 
Macfarren,  G.  A.,  338 

Songs  in  a  Cornfield,  Sonata  by, 
338,  384,  423 
Machiavelli,  368,  448 
Maclellan,  General,  28 
Maclennan,  J.  F.,  229 

Primitive  Marriage  by,  229 
Maclise,  Daniel,  306 
Macmillan,  Alexander,  50,  82,  88,  94, 
99,  199,  222,  224,  242,  245,  498, 
499 

Macmillan's  Magazine,  44,  68,  69,  96, 

99,  377,  517 
Macon,  12 
MacShane,  280 


Madonna  del  Carmelo  (Church),  Milan, 
114 

Madonna  di  Monte  Berico  (Church), 

Vicenza,  57 
Maenza,  C.  P.,  322 
Maenza,  Ma  ^ame,  322,  360 
Magenta,  316 
Maggi,  Prof.,  182,  183,  343 
Magliabecchian  Library,  Florence,  397, 

449,  480 
Mahabharata,  The,  380 
Maitland,  J.  Fuller,  43 
Malespini,  367 
Malory,  Sir  Thomas,  341 

Mort  Arthur  by,  341 
Manchester,  244,  472 
Manet,  Edouard,  105 

Olympie  by,  105 
Manso,  371,  372 
Mantegna,  Andrea,  311,  312 
Mantua,  311,  313,  314 
Mantua  Cathedral,  31 1 
Marie  Antoinette,  258 
Marietta,  250,  251 
Marini,  344 

Marks,  Murray,   195,  222,  233,  234, 
339 

Marlow,  Great,  261,  380,  515 
Marochetti,  Baron,  321 

Emanuel   Philibert  Monument  by, 
321 

Marseilles,  185,  387 
Marshall,  John,  201.  230,  327,  329,  414 
Marshall,  Mr,  154,  155,  157,  210,  213 
Marshall,  Mrs,  154  to  158,  160,  161, 
210,  213 

Marshall,  Mrs  (Junior),  154  to  158, 

160,  161,  210,  211 
Marshall,  Mrs  Peter  P.,  379 
Marshall,  Peter  P.,  14,  22,  47,  203, 

379 

Marston,  Dr  Westland,  504 
Martigny,  317 
Martin,  Eliza,  224 

Life  is  not  good,  by,  224 
Martineau,  R.  B.,  200,  384,  395 
Mary  (of  Naples),  189 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  35 
Masini,  lo 

Mason,  George,  297,  402,  439 
View  of  Keats's  Tomb  by,  402 

Massey,  Gerald,  218,  219 

On  Shakespear's  Sonnets  by,  219 

Masson,  Mrs,  200 

Matha,  Jean  de,  259 

Matthews,  C.  P.,  268,  269,  280,  295, 
296,  308,  350 

Mauban,  238 

2  M 


546 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Maximilian,  Emperor  of  Mexico,  II2 
Mayer,  303,  304 

Mazzini,  196,  208,  215,  226,  230,  231, 
245,  248,  319,  330,  335,  336,  371, 
394,  402,  407 
Meaux,  130,  250 
Medici,  Alessandro  de',  247 
Medici,  Catherine  de',  260 
Medici,  Lorenzino  de',  226,  247,  252 
Mediterranean  Sea,  466 
Medwin,  Captain,  183,  393,  510 
Memling,  Hans,  34 

Chasse  de  Ste.  Ursule  by,  37 

Madonna  and  Child  by,  38 

Marriage  of  St  Catharine  by,  37 

St  Hubert  by,  34 
Menabrea,  General,  509,  510 
Mentone,  225 
Meo,  Gaetano,  175 
Mercati,  Michele,  258 
Meredith,  George,  64 
Meuse,  The,  259 
Mexico,  289 
Mexico,  Gulf  of,  357 
Mezerai,  259 

Histoire  de  France  by,  259 
Michelangelo,  38,  252,  392,  393,  529 

Brutus,  Head  of,  by,  252 

Virgin  and  Child  (Bruges)  by,  38 
Michelet,  258 

Jeanne  d'Arc  by,  258 
Michelozzo,  190 
Middleton,  C.  S.,  474 
Milan,  8,  55,  112,  113,  122,  183,  310, 
316 

Milan  Cathedral,  112,  114,  316 

Mill,  J.  Stuart,  193,  335 

Millais,  Lady,  9,  226 

Millais,  Sir  Everett,  297 

Millais,  Sir  John  E.,  46,  100,  296,  297, 
306,  331,  396,  408 
Huguenot  (The)  by,  144 
Jephtha's  Daughter  by,  231 
Lorenzo  and  Isabella  by,  298,  300, 
321 

Mariana  by,  144 

Pilgrims  to  St  Paul's  by,  322 

Ransom  (The)  by,  269 

Romans  leaving  Britain  by,  134 

Vanessa  by,  393 

Wandering  Thoughts  by,  300 
Miller,  John,  2,  232,  233 
Miller,  Miss,  379 
Millet,  J.  P.,  318 
Milton,  John,  80,  319,  320,  505 
Minerva,  Church  of  the,  Rome,  388 
Minerva  Hotel,  Rome,  388 
Minto,  Jarvis,  156 


MInto,  Mrs,  156 
Mississippi,  The,  357 
Mitchell  (Bradford),  132,  407 
Mitchell,  W.  C.,  323,  324 
Modena,  Duke  of,  371 
Moehrer,  327 
Molo,  The,  Naples,  188 
Monmouth,  Duke  of,  72 
Mont  Blanc,  1 14 
Montagna,  B.,  57 

Pieta  by,  57 
Montagu,  Basil,  401,  446 
Monte  Cenere,  iii 
Monte  Oliveto  Church,  Naples,  189 
Monte  Rosa,  114 
Montorsoli,  187 

Madonna  with  dead  Christ  by,  187 
Montpensier,  Due  de,  513 

Head  of  Shelley  by,  513,  514.,  515 
Montreuil  (Boulogne),  334 
Moore,  Albert,  64,  65,  384 

Azaleas  by,  322 
Moore,  Thomas,  385,  386,  402,  409, 
514 

Moretto,  II,  118,  119 
St  Ursula  by,  120 
Supper  at  Emmaus  by,  119 
Virgin  and  Child  with  Saints  by,  120 

Morland,  George,  47 

Morley,  Henry,  193 

Morley,  John,  193,  197,  336,  430 

Morning  Post,  The,  307 

Morning  Star,  The,  244 

Moro,  314 

Morone,  122 

Morpeth,  508 

Morris,  Marshall,  Faulkner,  &  Co.,  ix., 
5, 14,  65,  219,  276,  280,  339, 525, 526 
Morris,  Mrs,  296,  302,  304,  384,  391, 

403,  404,  437,  449,  4S0,  4S8,  463, 
512,  529 

Morris,  Wm.,  66,  167,  203,  246,  276 
to  280,  302,  303,  330,  332,  346,  347, 
383,  402,  403,  449,  450,  464,  500, 
505,  518,  521,  525,  528,  529 
Defence  of  Guenevere  etc.,  by,  66 
Earthly  Paradise  by,  330,  383,  512 
Grettir  the  Strong,  translated  by, 
330 

Life  and  Death  of  Jason  by,  199,  233, 
236,  273,  299 
Morse,  448 

Morten,  Mrs,  195,  381 
Morten,  Thomas,  195,  2I0 

Council  before  Eve  of  St  Bartholo- 
mew by,  195 
Moscow,  413 
Moses  Nachmani,  484 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


547 


Mostaert,  Jean,  38 

Mater  Dolorosa  by,  38 

Mount  St  Gothard,  no,  114,  123 

Moxon,  Edward,  423 

Moxon  &  Co.,  197,  199,  200,  206,  224, 
307,  333,  378,  401,  403,  409,  410, 
414,  416,  417,  418,  428,  498,  505, 
508 

Moxon's  Popular  Poets,  x.,  381,  38310 
386,401,  410,  412,  420,  421,465, 
498 

Munro,  Alexander,  396 
Muntham  Court,  298 
Murano,  9,  438 
Murray,  C.  Fairfax,  407,  433 
Murray,  John,  229 

Murray's  Handbook,  Italy,  1 12,  113, 

116,  118,  119,  188,  312,  389 
Musee  Campana,  Paris,  105 
Museo  Antiquario,  Mantua,  312 
Museo  Civico,  Brescia,  119 
Museo  Civico,  Milan,  113 
Museo  Patrio,  Brescia,  118 
Musset,  Alfred  de,  247 
Lorenzaccio  by,  247 


N 

Nannucci,  3,  490 

Manuale  della  Letteratura  by,  3 
Naples,  ix.,  115,  178,  186  to  189,  191, 

204,  209,  213,  225,  328,  387,  390, 

393,  500 
Naples  Museum,  187 
Napoleon  I.,  221,  261,  262,  438 
Napoleon  III.,  12,  115,  116,  117,  125, 

208,  248,  272,  288,  289 
Nation,  The  (Review),  270 
National   British   Gallery,   199,  203, 

486 

National  Gallery,    ii,   21,  222,  235, 

318,  383 
National  Portrait  Gallery,  503 
Natoli,  249 
Nazareth,  465 
Nebuchadnezzar,  484 
Neeve,  Miss,  190 
Nelson,  Lord,  271 
Nemi,  11 

Nettleship,  J.  T.,  339,  384,  410,  416 

God  creating  Evil  by,  339 

Lion  and  Lioness  by,  502 
Neuhausen,  126 
New  Monthly  Magazine,  523 
New  Testament,  161 
New  York,  357 
New  York  Times,  270 


New  York  Tribune,  355 
Newcastle-on-Tyne,  28,  159,  210,  212, 
323 

Newhaven,  54,  59,  131,  184 
Newman,  Cardinal,  520 
Nibelungenlied,  330 
Nice,  192,  256 
Nicholson,  Baron,  337 
Nicholson,  Margaret,  425 
Niepce  de  St  Victor,  318 
Nimmo,  381 
Nineveh,  455 
Noe,  Vicomte  de,  105 
North  American  Review,  162,  168,  193, 
206 

North  British  Review,  481,  526 
North  End,  Fulham,  320 
North  Parish  Magazine,  Greenock,  65 
Northern  Daily  Express,  207 
Northiam  House,  201 
Northumberland,  523 
Norton,  Mrs,  29,  169,  433,  437,  528 
Norton,  Prof.,  ix.,  12,  13,  91,  162,  206, 
386,  506 
On  Portraits  of  Dante  by,  92 
Not,  Dr,  288 

Notes  and  Queries,  x.,  80,  299,  301, 

307,  415,  418,  461,  462,  522 
Notre  Dame,  Bruges,  38 
Notre  Dame  des  Sablons,  Brussels,  32 
Notre  Dame,  Paris,  106,  131,  185 


O 

O'Brien,  Lucius,  57 
O'Brien,  W.  Smith,  57 
Observer,  The,  483 
Ockley,  Simon,  260 

History  of  the  Saracens  by,  260 
O'Connor,  W.  D.,  x.,  180,  244,  270, 
403,  404,  411,  415 

Good  Grey  Poet  (The)  by,  180,  181, 
285,  287 

Harrington  by,  181 
Odo  delle  Colonne,  461 
Old  West  Kirk,  Greenock,  65 
Olimpia,  248,  249,  250,  254,  352,  353 
Oliphant,  Francis,  210,  211 
Once  a  Week  (magazine),  87,  88,  302 
O'Neil,  Henry,  242 
Ongar,  362 
Opie,  John,  363 

Death  of  Rizzio  by,  363 
Orcagna,  ii 

Ascension  by,  1 1 

Last  Judgment  by,  ii 

Triumph  of  Death  by,  11 


548 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Orley,  Bernard  van,  33 
Last  Judgment  by,  34 
Pietk,  by  33 

Orme,  Mrs,  200 

Orsini,  Assunta,  176,  177 

Orsini,  Felice,  312 

O'Shaughnessy,  Arthur,  496 

Ospedale  Maggiore,  Milan,  115 

Otley,  425,  426 

Outis  {see  Tupper,  J.  L.) 

Oxford,  25,  403,  407 


P 

P.  R.  B.,  30,  468 

Pacini,  55 

Saffo,  Opera  by,  55 
Padua,  117 

Palace  Yard,  Westminster,  321 
Palais  Royal  Theatre,  Paris,  54 
Palazzo  Brignole-Sale,  Genoa,  187 
Palazzo  Carignano,  74 
Palazzo  del  T.,  Mantua,  311 
Palazzo  Doria,  Genoa,  187 
Palazzo  Durazzo,  Genoa,  187 
Palazzo  Municipale,  Brescia,  118 
Palazzo  Reale,  Milan,  115 
Palermo,  186 

Palgrave,  F.  T,,  43,  92,  loi,  234,  242, 
332,  423 
Golden  Treasury,  edited  by,  424 

Palgrave,  Gwenllian,  423 

Memorial  of  F.  T.  Palgrave  by,  423 

Pall  Mall  Gazette,  63,  92,  393,  506 

Pallavicini,  Marquis,  192 

Palmer,  Samuel,  41,  42 

Palmerston,  Lord,  161,  205 

Palustre  de  Montifaut,  425 
De  Paris  a  Sybaris  by,  425 

Panizzi,  Sir  Anthony,  176,  178 

Paolo  Veronese,  32,  117,  315 
Adoration  of  Magi  by,  32 
Cena  di  San  Gregorio  by,  57 
Holy  Family  and  St  Catharine  by, 
32 

Martyrdom  of  St  Afra  by,  118 
Paris,  8,  54,  59,  104, 130,  177,  184,  212, 

213,  238,  258,  259,  288,  308,  317, 

318,  387,  427 
Paris  International   Exhibition,  1867, 

228 

Parke,  Louisa,  166,  167 
Parker,  392 
Parks,  Mrs,  355 
Parma  Cathedral,  138 
Parsons,  J.  R.,  339 
Patay,  258 


Patmore,  Coventry,  296 
Patmore,  Mrs  Coventry,  200 
Paul,  Benjamin  H.,  330 
Pavia,  116,  117 
Pavia  Cathedral,  116,  117 
Payne,  J.  Bertrand,  200,  206,  207,  307, 
331  to  335,  381,  382,  384,  385,  386, 

395,  397,  409,  411,  412,  420  to  423, 
505 

Payne,   J.    Burnell,    306,   307,  462, 
463 

Peacock,  T.  L.,  392,  407,  503,  510 

Pedrocchi,  8 

Peel,  Sir  Robert,  41 

Pelham-Maitland,  190 

Pelli,  216 

Penkill  Castle,  x.,  158,  237,  238,  324, 
325,  326,  329,  330,  332,  369,  372, 

396,  404,  412,  417,  464,  473 
Pennsylvania  Avenue,  Washington,  492 
Pepper,  Prof.,  54 

Peschiera,  120,  311 
Peter  (of  Damascus),  260 
Petrarca,  527 

First  Sonnet  of,  527 
Petrella,  Castle  of,  425 
Petropoulaki,  419 
Petworth,  23 
Phidias,  179 
Philippe  Egalite,  513 
Phillips,  Thomas,  42 

Portrait  of  Blake  by,  42 
Philological  Society,  6 
Photographic  Exhibition,  London,  103 
Piani,  Andrea,  317 

Adoration  of  Shepherds  by,  317 
Piazza  d'Armi,  Milan,  I13,  114 
Piazza  del  Popolo,  Rome,  10 
Piazza  del  Popolo,  Siena,  10 
Piazza  dell'  Erbe,  Verona,  121 
Piazza  San  Martino,  Florence,  249 
Piazza  Santo  Spirito,  Florence,  388 
Piccadilly,  44,  49,  70,  78,  89,  132 
Piccole  (Le)  Miserie  (play),  311 
Pierre  a  Voire,  Martigny,  317 
Pietro  Aretino,  367,  368 

Dialogue  on  Cards  by,  367 

Ragionamenti  by,  367 
Pietrocola,  190 

Pietrocola-Rossetti,    Mrs    {see  Cole, 

Mrs  Lionel) 
Pietrocola-Rossetti,  Teodorico,ix.,  8,84, 

118,  190,  217,  388,  389,  390,  397, 

426,  435,  436,  448,  469,  501,  530, 

531 

Memoir  of  Gabriele  Rossetti  by,  8 
Mercato  de'  Folletti,  translation  by, 
217 


INDEX  Of  NAMES 


540 


Pille,  184 

Duke  of  Saxony  at  Chess  by,  184 
Pim,  Captai  ,  414 
Pisa,  ID,  II,  256,  530 
Pisa  Baptistery,  ii 
Pisa  Campo  Santo,  1 1 
Pius  IX.,  II,  208,  209,  388 
Plaio,  70 

Plint,  E.  T,,  2,  139 

Pliny,  478 

Plymouth,  432 

Poe,  Edgar  A.,  303 

Polidori,  Argia,  217 

Polidori,  Charlotte,  223,  224,  298,  340, 

411,  526 
Polidori,  Dr  John,  159,  340 

The  Vampyre  by,  159 
Polidori,  Eliza,  224,  334 
Polidori,  Filippo,  217,  218,  510 
Polidori,  Luigi,  217,  510 
Polidori,  Margaret,  222,  223,  224,  526 
Poliziano,  Angelo,  236 
Pollen,  J.  Hungerford,  299,  500 

Catalogue  of  Books  on  Art  by,  299 
Polydore,  Henrietta  (Junr.),  72,  89 
Polydore,  Henrietta  (Senr,),  303,  304 
Polydore,  Henry,  73,  303,  340,  409 
Poniatowski,  Joseph,  208 
Pont  de  I'Alma,  P  iris,  238 
Ponte  Nuovo,  Verona,  I2I 
Poole,  P.  F.,  269 
Pope,  Alexander,  498 
Porta  Nuova,  Arch  of,  Milan,  1 14 
Porta  Romana,  Milan,  115 
Portfolio,  The  (magazine),  415,  431 
Posilipo,  Grotto  of,  188 
Potter,  Cipriani,  379 
Poussin,  Nicholas,  13,  232 

Infant  Moses  by,  13 
Powell,  335 

Prasraphaelite  Exhibition,  1857,  30 
Preston,  232 
Preti  Calabrese,  33 
Pride,  General,  261 
Prince  Imperial  (France),  262 
Prinsep,  Mrs,  201,  403 
Prinsep,  Valentine  C,  loi,  201,  202, 
494 

Printemps,  262 

Priory,  The,  North  Bank,  London,  373 

Pritchard,  Dr,  210,  213 

Procaccini,  114 

Procter,  Bryan  W.,  221 

Prudhon,  427 

Prussia,  186,  208,  289 

Purchase,  Rev.  Mr,  335 

Purnell,  Thomas,  504 

Pyne,  Miss,  220 


Q 

Queen  Square,  Bloomsburv,  167, 
278 

Queen's  Messenger,  The  (magazine), 
412 

Quillac's  Hotel,  Calais,  31 
Quilter,  Har.y,  493 

Preferences  in  Art  by,  493 


R 

Radcliffe,  Dr,  438 
Radetsky,  Count,  112 
Radicofani,  10 
Rae,  George,  486 
Ralston,  Wm.,  193,  194 
Raphael,  35,  119,  197 

La  Vierge  au  Lange  by,  35 
Rattazzi,  Urbano,  272,  289 
Reade,  Winwood,  176,  177 

Martyrdom  of  Man  by,  176 
Reader,  The  (review),  91,  380 
Red  Hill,  17 

Red  Lion  Square,  8,  London,  65 
Redentore  Church,  Venice,  56 
Redgrave,  Richard,  4 

Gulliver  by,  4 

Ophelia  by,  4 

The  Widow  by,  4 
Regina,    177,    183,    248,    249,  250, 
355 

Registrum  Regale,  522 
Reichenau,  123 
Reid,  229 

Reid,  Rev.  Mr,  412 
Rembrandt,  32,  307 

Portrait  by  (Brussels),  32 
Renouard,  Veuve,  184 
Restaurant  Bertrand,  Antwerp,  36 
Reuss,  The,  109 
Reveley,  Henry,  402,  432,  433 
Reveley,  Mrs,  402 
Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  44,  45,  48 
Reynolds,  Dr,  438 
Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua,  239 

Portrait  of  Mrs  Abington  by,  239 
Rhine,  The,  123,  124,  125,  204 
Rhine  Bridge,  Bale,  107 
Ribot,  185 

Christ  among  the  Doctors  by,  185 
Ricasoli,  Baron,  208 
Riccia,  La,  10,  ii 

Ricciardi,  Conte  Giuseppe,  390,  393, 

410,  413,  416 
Richards,  Colonel,  232 
Richmond,  Virginia,  53,  358 


550 


iNDliX  OF  NAMES 


Rirhmond,  George,  41,  217,  234 

Portraits  of  V\  iUiam  and  Catherine 
Blake  by,  41,  43 

Rirhmond  Park,  329,  330 

Riddell,  Mrs,  227 

Rietti  (Venice),  56 

Rintoul,  R.  S.,  337 

Ritchie,  260 
Letters  of  Jane  Carlyle,  edited  by, 
260 

Riva  degli  Schiavoni,  Venice,  8,  55,  314 
Riva  delle  Zattere,  Venii  e,  56 
Riviera  di  Chiaja,  Naples,  188 
Riviere,  25 
Rivington,  236 

Robert,  King  of  Naples,  Monument  to, 
189 

Robert's  Bridge,  Sussex,  499 
Roberts  Brothers,  223,  234,  512 
Roberts,  Captain,  182,  183 
Robertson,  John  Forces,  304 
Robertson,  Johnston,  304 
Robertson,  T.  W.,  227 

Caste  by,  227 
Robinson,  Mr,  393 

The  Troubadours  by,  393 
Robinson,  Sir  Charles,  393 
Roebuck,  A.  J.,  502 
Roland,  302 

Romanino  and  Gambara,  118 
Story  of  Lucretia  by,  118 

Rome,  viii.,  10,  11,  12,  51,  52,  116,  177, 
192,  225,  231,  241,  272,  289,  310, 
319,  321,  351,  367,  378,  387,  390, 
434,  503 

Rome,  King  of,  262 

Ronchi  (Hills),  119 

Roose,  Nicholas,  36 

Coronation  of  the  Virgin  by,  36 

Rose,  J.  Anderson,  14,  225,  227,  333 

Rose  and  Rosemary  (poem),  96 

Rose,  Shamrock,  and  Thistle  (maga- 
zine), 87,  88 

Rosenhiigel,  Coire,  124 

Rossetti,  Christina  G.,  viii.,  ix.,  4,  13,  50, 
67,  72,  85,  86,  96,  104,  105,  107, 
108,  III,  112,  115,  122,  124,  168, 
188,  197,  199,  202,  205,  214,  223, 
227,  229,  234,  236,  241,  247,  255, 
271,  297,  298,  321,  337,  338,  341, 
392,  396,  404,  410,  462,  470,  475, 
479,  498,  499 

Rossetti,  Christina  G.    Worh  by — 
After  this  the  Judgment,  82,  83,  84, 
479 

Amor  Mundi,  87,  88,  95 
Amore  e  Dovere,  98,  100 
At  Home,  68,  69 


Rossetti,  Christina  G. — Continued 
Bird  or  Beast,  93 
Bird's-eye  View,  99 
Birthday,  A,  197 
Bourne,  The,  98,  99 
Bn  the  Sea,  98,  99 

By  the  Waters  of  Babylon,  81,  82, 
84 

Come  and  See,  99 
Commonplace,  500 
Consider,  68 
Dead  City,  The,  98,  loo 
Despised  and  Rejected,  479 
Dost  Thou  not  care  ?,  74,  479 
Easter  Even,  98,  99 
Echo  Song,  340 
Eve,  74 

From  House  to  Home,  72 
Ghost's  Petition,  The,  93,  94 
Goblin  Market,  83,  217 
Goblin  Market,  and  other  Poems,  4, 

5,  6,  26,  50,  53,  72,  73,  81,  82, 

88,  93 
Gone  for  Ever,  99 
Grown  and  Flown,  74 
I  will  lift  up  mine  Eyes  etc.,  98 
Iniquity  of  the  Fathers,  83,  84,  93 
Jessie  Cameron,  93 
L.  E.  L.,  82,  97,  99 
Last  Night,  68,  98 
Maiden-Song,  97 
Margery,  98,  99 
Martyrs'  Song,  82,  83,  84,  479 
Maude  Clare,  87 
My  Dream,  68 
New  Poems  (1896),  98 
Old  and  New  Year's  Ditties,  236 
Poems  in  Macmillan's  Magazine,  68, 

69 

Portrait,  A.,  98,  99 

Prince's  (The)  Progress,  viii.,  68,  69, 

72  to  75,  77,  78,  83,  87,  96 
Prince's  (The)  Progress,  and  Other 

Poems,  viii.,  50,  81,  193,  202 
Royal  Princess,  A.,  87,  88,  97,  99 
Singsong,  498 
Sleep  at  Sea,  72 

Songs  in  a  Cornfield,  88,  93,  94 

Spring  Fancies,  68,  93,  94 

Three  Nuns,  99 

To-morrow,  80,  81 

Triad  (A),  329 

Twilight  Night,  80,  93 

Vanity  of  Vanities,  99 

Verses,  1847,  98,  99 
Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel,  vii.  to  xi.,  1,3,5, 
12,  14,  15,  30,  31,  33,  35,  37,  39,  4i 
to  47,  49,  50,  62,  64,  67,  68,  77,  80, 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


551 


85,87,93, 97,98,133,136, 141,145, 
162, 167,169,170,173,180,193, 194, 
195,  198,  199,  201,  203,  207, 209, 
219,  222,  227,  228,  230,  235,  236, 
239  to  246,  2s6,  263,  264,  265,  267, 
272,  295,  296,  297,  301,  303  to  306, 
308,  316,  318,  320  to  334,  336  to  339, 
350,  362,  368,  372,  373,  376,  379, 
380,  381,  384,  385,  393  to  396,  400, 
403,  405  to  408,  410  to  418,  420, 
428,  433, '439,  441,  447,  457,  461, 
464,  470,  472,  483,  488,  489,  491, 
493,  497  to  501,  504,  S05,  506,  518 
Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel.     Works  by — 

Aspecta  Medusa,  ix.,  244,  268,  280, 
281,  282,  290  to  294,  308 

Aurora,  139,  140 

Autumn  Idleness,  468 

Ave,  454,  465 

Beata  Beatrix,  199,  233,  304 

Beauty  and  the  Bird,  455,  456 

Before  the  Battle,  12,  13,  14 

Belcolore,  164 

Beloved,  The,  175 

Bionda  (La)  del  Balcone,  329 

Blake  (William),  Writings  on,  18,  19, 

170,  171 
Blessed  Damozel,  466 
Blue  Bower,  The,  loi,  164,  165 
Boat  of  Love,  132,  133,  141,  151,  153 
Bride's  Prelude,  The,  413 
Burd  Alane,  139 
Burden  of  Nineveh,  453,  454 
Card-dealer,  The,  468 
Cassandra,  233,  436 
Choice,  The,  454,  455 
Christmas  Carol,  224 
Collected  Works,  236,  417 
Dante  in  Verona,  413,  415 
Dante's  Dream,  x.,  290,  292,  293,  350, 

486,  487 
Death  (sonnet),  339 
Doom  of  the  Sirens,  417 
Early  Italian  Poets  translated,  3,  437, 

471,  490,  491 
Eden  Bower,  408,  415,  470,  483 
Found,  viii.,  ix.,  x.,  66,  265,  487,  488, 

489 

Gabriele  Rossetti,  Portraits  of,  353 
Ghirlandata,  La,  95 
Girlhood  of  Mary  Virgin  (picture), 
67,  68,  175 
Do.  (Sonnet),  455,  456,  468 
Giorgione's  Pastoral  (sonnet),  455, 
456 

Goblin  Market  Designs,  77,  78 

Golden  Water,  133 

Gretchen  with  the  Jewels,  230 


Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel — Continued 
Hamlet  and  Ophelia,  436,  523 
Hand  and  Soul,  455,  456,  457,  490, 
491 

Helen  of  Troy,  442 

Hesterna  Rosa,  70,  71,  139,  140 

How  they  met  themselves,  227 

Jenny,  413,  472,  529 

Joan  of  Arc,  14,  227 

King  Rene's  Honeymoon,  62,  63 

Lady  Lilith,  47,  226,  297,  407,  483 

Last  Confession,  413,  415,  454,  469 

Launcelot  and  Guenevere,  133 

Love-Lily,  396 

Love's  Nocturn,  462,  466,  467,  468 
Loving-cup,  The,  230 
Lucrezia  Borgia,  298,  299,  301,  442, 
443 

Magdalene  at  the  House  of  Simon, 

144,  442,  524 
Mariana,  327,  486,  487 
Mary  in  Summer,  To,  453,  454 
Match  with  the  Moon,  468 
Monna  Vanna,  164 
Mrs  Dante  Rossetti,  Head  of,  523, 

524 

Mrs  Leyland,  Portrait  of,  233,  236 
Mrs  Morris  (Oil-picture),  203,  319, 
486 

Mrs  Rossetti  (Oil-picture),  297 
Mrs  Wetherall,  Head  of,  193 
Mrs  Zambaco,  Head  of,  500 
My  Sister's  Sleep,  458,  462 
Nuptial  Sleep,  453,  455,  45^ 
Orchard-pit,  The,  417,  467 
Pandora  (picture),  337,  384,  391,  403, 
486,  487 
Do.  (Sonnet),  386 
Paolo  and  Francesca,  14,  133,  229 
Parable  of  the  A^ineyard,  300 
Passover  in  the  Holy  Family,  133 
Penelope,  403 
Pia,  La,  296,  302 
Plighted  Piomise,  454 
Poems,  1870,  vii.,  x.,  xi.,  453,499,  504, 
506,  512,  518,  524,  526,  528,  529 
Portrait,  The  (poem),  413 
Prince's  Progress  Designs,  83,  84,  95 
Regina  Cordium,  2,  132,  133 
Retro  me  Sathana,  455 
Rose,  The,  234 
Sea-Limits,  The,  469,  470 
Seed  (The)  of  David,  50,  51,  209 
Sermon  (The)  on  the  Plain,  526 
Sibylla  Palmifera,  9$,  407,  486,  487 
Sister  Helen,  461,  462,  466 
Socrates  and  Aspasia,  147,  148,  152 
Song  and  Music,  462 


55^ 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel — Continued 
Sonnets  in  Fortnightly  Review,  430 
Staff  and  Scrip,  453 
Stream's  (The)  Secret,  527 
Superscription,  A,  380 
Tennyson  Designs,  30 
TibuUus  and  Delia,  268 
Tristram  and  Ysenlt,  242,  345 
Troy  Town,  408,  477 
Union  Hall,  Oxford,  Paintings  in, 

477,  482 
Vain  Virtues,  386 

Venus  Vrrticordia  (picture),  60,  61, 
62,  132,  134,  136,  137,  227,  303, 
308,  406 

"'Do.    (Sonnet),  296,  456 

Veronica  N'eronese,  95 

Washing  Hands,  139,  140,  146 

Willow-wood,  339 
Rossetti,  Elizabeth  E.,  vii.,  viii.,  x.,  i, 
75,  76,  167,  194,  212,  406 

Clerk  Saunders,  painting  by,  433, 

437,  511 
Pippa  Passes,  design  by,  437 
Poems  by,  75  to  78 
Rossetti,  Frances,  ix.,  74  to  77,  84,  104, 
105,  107,  108,  112,  115,  122,  124, 
125,  202,  217,  225,  231,  246,  334, 
336,  384,  411,  412,  457,  501 
Rossetti,  Gabriele,  ix.,  3,  79,  80,  170, 
173,  176,  178,  183,  187,  208,  209, 
216,  231,  254,  288,  343,  344,  348, 
352,  398,  426,  427,  448,  531 
Amor  Platonicoby,  80,  182,  183,  208, 

288,  418 
Arpa  Evangelica  by,  190 
Beatrice  di  Dante  by,  179,  183,  208, 

288,  289,  343,  344,  427 
Dante's  Purgatory,  Comment  on,  by, 
176,  179 

Poems  by,  prefaced  by  G.  di  Stefano, 

73,  74,  188 
Poems  by,  selected  by  Carducci,  8, 

187 

Poems  by,  selected  by  Wm.  Rossetti, 

411,  414 
Poesie  Inedite  by,  188 
Roma,  Secolo  19,  by,  188 
Salterio  (II)  by,  469 
Sei  pur  Bella,  Ode  by,  198 
Veggente  in  Solitudine  by,  191 
Rossetti,  Helen,  372,  414,  493 

Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti  by,  436 
Rossetti,  Lucy,  49,  199,  203,  330,  404, 
449,  464,  493,  504 
Painting,  picture  by,  379 
Rossetti,  Maria  F.,  12,  13,  14,  72,  202, 
329,  341.  384,  410,  470 


Rossetti,  Maria  F. — Continued 

Italian  Exercises  etc.  by,  72,  73,  329 
Shadow  of  Dante,  by,  500 
Rossetti,  Wm.  M.,  2,  5,  6,  7,  13,  15,  17, 

43,  44,  69,  79,  180,  263,  275,  458 
Rossetti,  Wm.  M.    Works  by — 
American  Poems  (edited),  403 
Arthur  Hughes  and  other  Painters, 

Article  on,  415 
Artists'  Dicta,  compilation,  234,  245, 
296 

Blake,  Catalogue  of  Works  by,  16 
Boccaccio's  Filostrato  translated,  x., 

326,  327,  333,  417 
Christianity  of  Christ,  323 
Chronicle,  Articles  in  The,  270 
Dante's  Hell  translated,  ix.,  74, 79,  85, 

89,  91,  102,  176,  196,  199,  246, 

378 

English  Opinion  on  the  American 

War,  ix.,  162,  168 
Fine  Art,  chiefly  Contemporary,  222, 

224,  234,  246,  267 
Humorous  Poems  (edited),  403 
Italian  Courtesy-books,  x.,  304,  308, 

326,  327,  367,448,  508,  509,514, 

525 

Memoir  of  D.  G.  Rossetti,  76,  334, 
355,  453 

Mrs  Holmes  Grey,  243,  284,  296, 

297,  408,  409 
Prseraphaelite  Diaries  and  Letters 

(edited),  vii. 
Ruskin,  Article  on,  245,  379,  408 
Ruskin,  Rossetti,  etc.  (edited),  vii., 

12,  76 

Shelley,  Emendations  to,  x.,  299,  301, 

307,  352,  420 
Shelley's  Poems  (edited),  x.,  338,  381, 
384,  385,  391,  392,  397,  398,  400, 
401,  405,  406,  409,  410,  418,  423, 
424,  429,  445,  499,  500,  504,  505, 
510,  513  to  516,  519 
Stations  of  Rome  (edited),  199 
Swinburne's  Poems  and  Ballads,  a 
Criticism,  ix.,  193,  194,  195,  197, 
199,  206,  216,  246,  299 
Talks  with  Trelawny,  398 
Tupper's  Hiatus,  Review  of,  481 
Rossi,  Dario,  411,  414 
Rossini,  Gioacchino,  449 
Rothschild,  120 
Round  Table  Cmagazine),  270 
Roustan,  262 

Routledge,  Edmund,  242,  243,  244 
Royal  Academy,  228,  231,  232,  233, 

269,  296,  306,  322,  329,  393,  396, 

494,  499,  502,  504 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


553 


Rubens,  32,  34,  35 

Adoration  of  Magi  (Antwerp)  by,  33 
Adoration  of  Magi  (Brussels)  by,  32 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin  by,  34 
Crucifixion  (Antwerp)  by,  33 
Descent  from  Cross  by,  34 
Elevation  of  Cross  by,  34 
Family  Group  by,  34 
Female  Martyrdom  by,  32 
Flagellation,  The,  by,  35 
Jerome's  Last  Communion  by,  33 
Marriage  of  St  Catharine  by,  35 
Portraits  (Brussels)  by,  32 
St  Bavon  renouncing  the  World  by, 
36 

Visitation,  The,  by,  34 
Rue  de  la  Cloche,  Calais,  450 
Rue  de  Rivoli,  Paris,  55 
Rue  Dyck,  Antwerp,  35 
Rue  Lepelletier,  Pans,  55 
Rue  Vivienne,  Paris,  59 
Rugby,  236,  387,  393 
Rugby  School,  445 

Rumble,  Miss,  402,  431,  432,  447,  450, 
451,  452 

Ruskin,  John,  ix.,  9,  12,  25,  26,  30,  46, 
58,  80  86,  92,  133,  134,  136,  141, 
163.  164,  165,  195  to  199,  225,  226, 
238  263,  297,  300,  302,  303,  305. 
320,  334,  351,  360,  361,  383,  407, 
408,  437,  4>^i,  482 
Selection  from  Works  of,  198 
Stones  of  Venice  by,  195 
Time  and  Tide  by,  263,  340 

Ruskin,  John  J.,  198 

Ruskin,  Mrs  John  (see  Millais,  Lady) 

Ruskin,  Mrs  (Senr.),  198 

Russia,  227,  413 

Ruxton,  Captain,  154,  155,  156 

Ruxton,  Mrs,  156 

Rye,  201 

S 

Sacchetti,  Franco,  367 

Saffi,  Aurelio,  224,  225 

Saint  Alpin  Church,  Chalons,  129 

Saint  Andre  Church,  Antwerp,  35 

Saint  Augustine  Church,  Antwerp,  35 

Saint  Augustine's  Tomb,  Pavia,  117 

Saint  Bavon  Cathedral,  Ghent,  36 

Saint  Cloud,  Palace  of,  262 

Saint  Eustache  Church,  Paris,  130 

Saint  Gervais  Church,  Paris,  262 

Saint  Helena,  Isle  of,  261 

Saint  Helena,  Venice,  Island,  438 

Saint  James's  Hall,  London,  298,  384 

Saint  Jaques  Church,  Antwerp,  34 


Saint  Jaques  Church,  Ghent,  36 
Saint  Mark's,  Venice,  189 
Saint  Mcrri  Church,  Paris,  131 
Saint  Nicholas  Church,  Ghent,  36 
Saint  Nicolas  aux   Champs  Church, 

Paris,  131 
Saint  Paul  Church,  Antwerp,  35 
Saint  Paul's,  London,  128,  272 
Saint  Sulpice  Church,  Paris,  54 
Saint  Theresa,  457 
Sainte  Beuve,  209,  427 
Sala,  George  A.,  308,  319,  320 
Salt  Lake  City,  304 
San  Bartolomeo  Church,  Milan,  1 13 
San  Bernardino  Church,  Verona,  121 
San  Cltmente  Church,  Brescia,  120 
San  Domenico  Church,  Naples,  188 
Sail  Domenico  Convent,  Naples,  190 
San  Fedi  L  Church,  Como,  112 
San  Fermo,  112 

San  Fermo  Churc!',  Veron-..  I2i 
San  Francesco  Church,  Pavia,  1 17,  1 20 
San  Giovanni  e  Paolo  Crurch,  X'enice, 
314  . 

San  Graziano  Church,  Arona,  317 
San  Lnienzo  Churc'-,  Milan,  115 
San  Marco  Church,  Milan,  113,  1 14 
San  Marino  Church,  Pavia,  117 
San  Matteo  Church,  Genoa,  187 
San  Maurizio,  Milan,  115 
San  Michele  Church,  Pavia,  117 
San  Miniato,  258 
San  Nazaru  Church,  Brescia,  120 
San  Pietro  in  Oliveto,  Brescia,  119 
San  Satiro  Church,  Milan,  113 
San  Teodoro  Church,  Pavia,  117 
San  Vittore  Church,  Milan,  115 
San  Zenone  Church,  Verona,  57,  120 
Sandys,  Frederick  A.,  x.,  66,  87,  88,  95, 
194,  197,  201,  225,  306,  307,  308, 
381,  385,  394,  395,  396,  441 
Helen  by  442 

Lucretia  Borgia  by,  394,  442 

Medea  by,  224,  306,  307 

Mrs  Bairstow,  portrait,  by,  385 

The  Valkyrie  by,  307 
Sanson  &  Co.,  410 
Sant'  Abondio  Church,  Como,  II2 
Sant'  Afra  Church,  Brescia,  118 
Sant'  Agata,  near  Naples,  190 
Sant'  Alessandro  Church,  Brescia,  118 
Sant'  Ambrogio  Church,  Milan,  114, 
115 

Sant'  Anastasia  Church,  Verona,  120 
Sant'  Andrea  Church,  Mantua,  312 
Sant'  Angelo  a  Nilo,  Naples,  190 
Santa  Chiara  Church,  Naples,  189 
Santa  Croce  Church,  Florence,  352 


554 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Santa  Giustina  Church,  Padua,  8 
Santa  Maria  Antica  Church,  Verona, 
120 

Santa  Maria  del  Miracoli,  Brescia,  Ii8 
Santa  Maria  degl'  Innocenti,  Arona, 
317 

Santa  Maria  della  Scala,  Verona,  120 
Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie,  Milan,  1 15 
Santa  Prassede  Church,  Rome,  388 
Santa  Rosora,  352,  353,  354 
Santo  Spirit©  Church,  Florence,  389 
Sardinia,  Kingdom  of,  204,  208 
Sarrehourg,  129 

Saturday  Review,  The,  92,  193,  197, 

231,  356,  507 
Sauval,  262 

Scala  Monuments,  Verona,  121 
Scaland's  Gate,  x.,  501,  505 
Schaffhausen,  125 

Schaffhausen,  Falls  of,  124,  125,  126 

Scheffer,  Ary,  427 

Schelling,  520 

Schiller,  247 

Schmidt,  314,  315 

Schmidt,  Madame,  314 

Schmidt's  Prussian  Menagerie,  314 

Schopenhauer,  496 

Schweizerhof,  Lucerne,  108 

Science  and  Art  Department,  299 

Scotland,  512 

Scotsman,  The  (newspaper),  491 

Scott,  David,  3,  4,  158 

Achilles  and  Patroclus  by,  323 
Emerson,  Portrait  of,  by,  391,  439, 
440 

Orestes  and  the  Furies  by,  323 
Scott,  Mrs,  99,  320 
Scott,  Sir  Waller,  381,  385,  386,  402 
Scott,  Wm.  Bell,  viii.,  i,  7  to  10,  22,  98, 
100,  157,  158,  160,  161,  189,  194, 
196,  210,  211,  213,  225,  226,  230, 

232,  237,  239,  240,  245,  246,  297, 
298,  320,  323,  324,  329,  331,  332, 
335,  336,  338  to  341,  372,  380,  382, 
384,  391,  394,  396,  410,  412,  416, 
439,  440,  458,  462,  473,  478,  493, 
496,  526,  527 

Autobiographical  Notes  by,  412,  492, 
493 

Burns  Designs  by,  458 

Durer's   Diary   translated   by,  332, 

383,  409,  458,  465,  466,  471 
Glass  designs  at  South  Kensington 

by,  505 

King's  Quair,  Paintings  by,  237,  332, 
370 

Prodigal,  The,  by,  336 
Scudder,  Horace,  169,  180,  304 


Scuola  di  San  Rocco,  Venice,  9,  56 
Seaton,  211 
Sellier,  105 

Leander  in  Death  by,  105 
Sepher  ben  Sira,  484 
Serassi,  371 

Life  of  Tasso  by,  371 
Serena,  261 
Sergia,  260 

Seven  Dials,  London,  319 
Severn,  Joseph,  183,  503 
Severn,  Mrs  Arthur,  198 
Seward,  W.  T.,  419 
Shake-pear,  55,  342,  476 
Hamlet  by  342 

Midsummer  Night's  Dream  by,  55 
Sharpe,  J.  Kirkpatrick,  474 
Shelley,  Harriet,  261,  332,  373,  386, 
400,  401,  405,  446,  447,  474,  499, 
500 

Shelley,  Hellen,  374,  399 
Shelley,  John,  337 

Shelley,  Lady,  374,  375,  399,  400, 
514 

Shelley  Memorials  by,  399,  400 

Shelley,  Margaret,  374,  399 

Shelley,  Mary  W.,  332,  380,  398,  399, 
402,415,  424,  429,  432,  446,  447, 
451,  452,  500,  502,  510,  514,  517, 
530 

Shelley,  Percy  B.,  181,  182,  183,  240, 
254,  261,  331,  332,  337,  340,  353, 
366,  373,  374,  376,  378,  379,  380, 
382,  383,  386,  392,  397  to  402,  404, 
405,  407,  411,  413,  414,  415,  418, 
420,  426,  427,  430,  432,  446,  447, 
450,  451,  452,  474,  480,  499,  500  to 
503,  514,  515,  522,  523,  530,  531 

Shelley,  Percy  B.     Works  by — 
Alastor,  421 

Cenci  (The),  375,  376,  382,  386 
Charles  L,  385,  429 
Dead  Violet,  Lines  on,  416 
Daemon  of  the  World,  335,  421 
Epipsychidion,  379,  429 
Essay  on  Prophecy,  474 
Faust  translated,  385 
Indian  Serenade,  392,  416 
Julian  and  Maddalo,  429 
Letter  to  Maria  Gisborne,  432 
Marenghi,  400 

Margaret  Nicholson,  335,  424 
Miss  Stacey,  Poems  to,  415,  416 
Mrs  Williams,  Poems  to,  398 
Ode  to  the  West  Wind,  519 
Poetical  Works,  333,  335,  336,  381, 

385,  412 
Posthumous  Poems,  378 


Index  of  names 


555 


Shelley,  Percy  B. — Continued 

Prometheus  Unbound,  339,  382,  383, 

499.  511 
Queen  Mab,  335,  386 
Refutation  of  Deism,  515 
Relics  of,  421,  474 

Revolt  of  Islam,  372,  373,  379,  394, 
395 

Saint  Irvyne,  377 
Swellfoot  the  Tyrant,  400 
Triumph  ol  Life,  429 
Unfinished  Drama,  400 
Virgil's  Gallus  translated,  400 
Zastrozzi,  377 
Shelley,  Sir  Percy  F.,  332,  374,  375, 

382,  385,  392,  399,  402,  430,  432, 

503,  514 
Shelley,  Sir  Timothy,  392 
Shelley,  William,  514 
Shepherd,  R.  Heme,  299 
Shields,  F.  J.,  71,  269,  300,  381,  384, 

472 

Pilgrim's  Progress  Designs  by,  71 
Shields,  North  and  South,  28 
Shilling  Magazine,  The,  87,  88,  95 
Shipley,  Rev.  Orby,  75,  76,  88,  99,  lOO 
Sibson,  Thomas,  157,  158 

Etchings  to  Dickens  by,  157 
Siddal,  Henry,  270 
Siena,  10 
Sim,  Dr,  189,  190 
Simcox,  393,  527 

Poems  by,  393 

Prometheus  Unbound  by,  393 
Sion  House,  Brentford,  514,  522 
Skelton,  Sir  John,  525 
Skinner,  Hilary,  413 
Slack,  J.  H,,  404,  405,  406 
Slack,  Mrs,  404 
Smalley,  G.  W.,  355 
Smetham,  James,  162,  163,  267,  362, 

383,  384,  385,  428,  489,  491,  492 
Letters  of,  163 

Smith  (Family  Herald),  160 

Smith,  John  T.,  20 

Smith  and  Eider,  17,  299 

Societk  Belle  Arti,  Naples,  190 

Societe  d'Acclimatation,  Paris,  59 

Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Know- 
ledge, 77,  78 

Solferino,  115,  119,  289 

Solomon,  King,  260 

Solomon,  Simeon,  269 
Habet  by,  269 

Somerset  House,  242,  243,  307,  318, 
321,  323,  330,  331,  337,  339,  411, 
499 

Sophocles,  515 


Sorel,  Agnes,  259 

Sotheby,  Mrs,  475 

Sotto-piombi,  Venice,  315 

South  America,  196 

Southampton,  156,  227 

Spain,  213,  330 

Spartali,  Michael,  252,  413 

Spartali,  Marie  {see  Stiliman,  Mrs) 

Spartali,  Misses,  229 

Spectator,  The  (newspaper),  199,  337 

Speke  Hall,  321 

Spello,  434 

Spencer,  Herbert,  200 

Spinoza,  474 

Tractatus   Theologico-Politicus  by, 
474 

Spiritual  Magazine,  The,  368,  516 
Splijgen,  The,  123,  124 
Spottiswoode,  469 
Standard,  The  (newspaper),  325 
Stanhope,  J.  R.  Spencer,  477 
Stanley,  Dean,  523 
Stansted  Hall,  Essex,  43 
Star,  The  (newspaper),  197 
Statius,  380 

The  Thebaid  by,  380 
Steele,  Dr,  406 
Stennett,  j.  H.,  325 

Stephens,  Frederic  G.,  198,  296,  306, 
332 

Stephens,  Holman,  332 
Stephens,  Mrs,  198 
Stevens,  Alfred,  239 
Stiliman,  Mrs  (Laura),  299 
Stiliman,  Mrs  (Marie),  336,  413,  415, 
464,  465,  529 
St  Barbara  by,  504 
The  Lagoon  by,  413 
Stiliman,  W.  J.,  viii.,x.,xi.,  lo,  li,  51,214, 
222,  226,  235,  252,  274,  299,  306, 
331,  333,  337,  338,  340,  359,  412, 
413,  415,  499,  506,  513,  528,  529 
Cretan  Days  by,  235,  277 
Stisted,  Miss,  392 
Stokes,  Whitley,  239 
Story  Junior,  306 
Story,  W.  W.,  306 
Stothard,  Thomas,  178 

Henry  VIII.  and  Anne  Boleyn  by, 
363 

Stowe,  Mrs  Beecher,  411,  460,  467,  480 
Stradadi  Toledo,  Naples,  191 
Strahan,  517 
Strasburg,  127 

Strasburg  Cathedral,  127,  128 
Stratford-on-Avon,  194,  195,  325,  326 
Strathmore,  Lord,  255 
Street,  G.  E.,  199,  308 


556 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Stromboli  (ship),  191 
Stu^rbo  it,  32 
Sudb  rv,  Derbyshire,  3 
Sully,  Duo  de,  262 

Memoires  de,  262 
Sun,  The  (newspaper),  351 
Sunderland  Cooperative  Store,  509 
Supplementary    Exhibition,  London, 
396 

Sussex,  173,  405 

Swinburne,  Admiral,  220,  221,  271 
Swinburne,  Algernon  C.,  ix.,  27,  42,  64, 
88,  168, 169, 172, 177, 193, 194, 197, 
200,  219,  220,  221,  226,  228,  230, 
231,  233,  242,  244,  245,  255,  271, 
297,  301,  302,  303,  305  to  308,  318, 
319,  320,  330,  335,  338,  344,  351, 
376,  379.  386,  394,  395,  400,  401, 
402,  407,  409,  410,  413,  416,  427, 
446.  447,  483,  493,  498,  504,  505, 
518 

Swinburne,  Algernon  C.     IVor^s  by — 
Atalanta  in  Caly^lon,  63,  64,  87,  89, 

95.  247,  505 
Baudelaire,  301 

Blake,  Study  on,  63,  168,  221,  224, 

234,  344 
Coleridge  Selection,  305 
Crete,  226 
Dirae,  411,  413,  498 
Eve  of  Revolution,  505 
Florence,  Drawings   in,  Paper  on, 

305 

Halt  before  Rome,  301,  305 
Hertha,  504,  505 
Hymn  to  Proserpine,  247 
L'Homme  qui  Rit  (review),  395,  407, 
498 

Litany  of  the  Nations,  504,  505 
Mary  Stuart  Trilogy,  242,  319 
Monna  Lisa,  245 
Novel  in  form  of  Letters,  380 
Pamphlet  on  Poems  and  Ballads,  ix., 

192,  193,  194,  197 
Poems  and  Ballads,  193,  197,  199, 

200,  206,  207,  224,  307,  335 
Rossetti's  Poems,  Review,  504,  505, 

525,  528 

Royal  Academy  Pamphlet,  x.,  305, 

306,  308,  319,  320,  351 
Song  of  Italy,  221,  240 
Songs  before  Sunrise,  x.,  504,  505 
Tristram    and    Yseult,    242,  319, 

504 

Swinburne,  Lady  Jane,  220 
Swinburne,  Misses,  220 
Switzerland,  ix.,  104,  107,  120,  310,  411 
Symonds,  J.  Addington,  x.,  363 


T 

Tabrett,  201 

Tacitus,  503 
Talkut  Kadash,  485 
Talmud,  The,  485,  486 
Tam  O'  Shanter  Inn,  Ayr,  453 
Tasso,  367,  368 

Tatham,  Frederick,  viii.,  16,  20,  21,  41 
Epic  Theory  in  Art  by,  16,  17 
Memoir  of  William  Blake  by,  43 

Taylor,  Captain,  499 

Taylor,  Emma,  501 

Taylor,  Gilbert,  363 

Dolomite  Mountains  by,  363 

Taylor,  Isaac,  362 

Engravings  for  the  Bible  by,  362 
Natural  History  of  Enthusiasm  by, 
362 

Taylor,  Isaac  (Senr.),  363 

Portraits  of  Jane  and  Anne  Taylor 
by,  363 

Taylor,  Mrs  Warington,  320,  499 
Taylor,  Sir  Henry,  4,  5 

Philip  van  Artevelde  by,  4,  71 
Taylor,  Tom,  178,  307,  427 

Memoir  of  Haydon  i^y,  178,  179,  258, 
427 

Taylor,  Warington,  ix.,  203,  219,  276, 

320,  322,  323,  325,  499  . 
Teatro  della  Canobbiana,  Milan,  55 
Teatro  Malibran,  Venice,  56,  57 
Tebbs,  H.  Virtue,  47,  48,  245,  298, 

304,  338,  386,  406,  473,  477,  478 
Temple  Bar  (magazine),  401 
Tennyson,  Frederick,  289 
Tennyson,  Lady,  103 
Tennyson,  Lord  (Alfred),  6,  103,  202, 

226,  233,  273,  302,  333.  341,  364, 

385,  411,  412,  417,  505 
Idylls  of  the  King  by,  77 
Illustrated  Edition  of,  422,  423 
Lady  of  Shalott  by,  341 
Tenterden,  201 

Terra-cotta  Edifices,  Italy  (book),  205, 

214,  229 
Thames,  The,  192,  318 
Theatre  de  la  Porte  St  Martin,  Paris, 

184 

Theatre  Dejazet,  Paris,  54 
Theatre  du  Pare,  Brussels,  32 
Theatre  Frangais,  Paris,  104,  238 
Theatre  Lyrique,  Brussels,  33 
Theodore,  King,  394 
Thomas,  Mrs  Edward,  88 
Thomas,  W.  Cave,  232 
Thomson,  James,  381,  498 
Thoreau,  181 
Thornton,  20 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


557 


Thorold  (family),  341 
Thorwaldsen,  109 

Lion  at  Lucerne  by,  109 
Tiberias,  Lake  of,  466 
Tiberius,  337 
Ticino,  Tlie,  no,  117 
Ticknor  and  Fields,  349 
Times,  The,  73,  204,  205,  355,  467 
Tinsley's  Magazine,  404,  458,  479 
Tintoret,  9,  32,  56,  113,  134,  198,  325, 
438 

Anticollegio  Paintings  by,  315 

Invention  of  the  Cross  by,  114 

Miracles  of  St  Roch  by,  391 

Paradise  by,  315 

Pieta  (Brera)  by,  114 

St  George  and  the  Dragon  by,  443 

Transfiguration  by,  118 
Tissot,  James,  105,  130,  239 

L'Enlevement  by,  105 

Le  Printemps  by,  105 
Titian,  34,  134,  135,  137,  138,  198, 
325,  363,  392,  438 

Alexander  VL  and  Sforza  by,  34 

Peter  Martyr  by,  315 

Portrait  of  Young  Man  (Bale)  by,  108 

St  Jerome  (Brera)  by,  246 

Woman  taken  in  Adultery  by,  118 
Tong,  46,  47 
Torcello,  438 
Touchett,  399,  400 
Traventi,  197,  198 

Trelawny,  Edward  J.,  x.,  182,  183,  215, 
218,  248,  254,  288,  366,  391,  392, 
398  to  402,  426,  427,  449,  480,  500, 
501,  502,  514,  517,  530,  531 
Records  of  Shelley  etc.  by,  254,  426, 
451 

Younger  Son  by,  254,  426 
Trelawny,  Miss  {see  Call,  Mrs) 
Trent,  208 

Trevelyan,  Lady,  210,  211,  212 
Trevelyan,  Sir  Walter,  207 
Trianon,  262 
Trieste,  208 

Trinity  College,  Dublin,  57 
Trist,  62,  63 
Troy,  De,  55 

Tudor  House,   Chelsea,   2    {see  also 

Cheyne  Walk) 
Tuileries  Palace,  262 
Tupper,  Alexander,  475 
Tupper,  George,  393,  435 
Tupper,  John,  x.,  236,  237,  321,  337, 

339,  379,  387  to  391,  393,  434.  435, 

445,  521 
Hiatus  by,  445,  475,  521 
True  Story  of  Mrs  Stowe  by,  475 


Tupper,  Martin  F.,  203,  204 

Proverbial  Philosophy  by,  203 
Turin,  73,  74,  216,  217,  321,  391 
Turkey,  227 

Turner,  J.  M.  W.,  21,  29,  233,  234,  305, 
325,  383,  438 

Hesperides  by,  21 

Jason  by,  21 

Liber  Studiorum  by,  521 

Martigny  by,  325 
Tuscany,  217 
Twickenham,  513 
Tyne,  The,  28 
Tynemouth,  16,  28 


U 

Uberti,  Fazio  degli,  3 
Uffizi  Gallery,  Florence,  389,  503 
Union  Debating-hall,  Oxford,  477 
Union  Society,  Oxford,  477,  482 
United  States,  53,  161,  263,  303 
University  College,  London,  72,  324 
University  College,  Oxford,  522,  523 
University  College  Hospital,  London, 
438 

Upton,  167 

V 

Vacca,  Dr,  399 
Valery,  387 
Valparaiso,  196 
Valpy,  R.  L.,  267,  268 
Van  Eyck,  John,  36,  135 

Adoration  of  the  Spotless  Lamb  by, 
36 

Arnolfini  Portraits  by,  135 

Head  of  Christ  by,  38 

Portrait  of  his  Wife  by,  38 

Virgin  and  Child,  with  Sts.  George 
and  Donatian  by,  37 
Vandyck,  35,  325 

Damae  due  Putti  by,  187 

Repose  in  Egypt  by,  37 
Varchi,  368 
Varennes,  130 
Varese,  II2 
Varley,  John,  43 
Vasto,  176 

Vauxhall  Concert,  Brussels,  33 
Velasquez,  35,  198 

A  Saint  in  Torment  by,  391 

Prometheus  by,  35 
Venetia,  116,  186 

Venice,  viii.,  x.,  8,  9,  13,  55,  57,  196, 
204,  208,  213,  216,  305,  308,  313, 
314,  359,  389,  434 


558 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Venice  Accademia,  315 

Vernet,  Horace,  427 

Verneuil,  Marquise  de,  262,  263 

Vernon,  Lord,  3,  178,  183,  288,  448, 

449,  480,  510 
Verona,  57,  58,  120,  122,  216,  308,  313, 

314,  438 
Vespasian,  199 

Via  deir  Ascensione,  Naples,  190 
Vicenza,  57 
Vichy,  407 

Victor  Emanuel  II.,  56,  115,  116,  117, 
189,  199,  208,  249,  289,  310,  311, 
509 

Victoria  and  Albert  Museum,  4,  8,  139, 
239,  276,  277,  278,  318,  346,  347, 
363,  408,  458,  500,  503,  505 
Victory  (Grecian  Bronze),  119 
Vie  dei  Fiori  Chiari  ed  Oscuri,  Milan, 
114 

Vieusseux,  182,  183 

Villa  Franca,  204,  208 

Villa  Pallavicini,  Genoa,  192 

Villa  Reale,  Naples,  188 

Villari,  Pasquale,  343,  509 

Vinci,  Leonardo  da,  316,  392,  481,  525 

Fight  for  the  Standard  by,  481,  482 

Last  Supper  by,  482 

Virgin  and  Child  by,  389 
Violet  (Romance),  461,  462 
Virgil,  258 

The  Mneid  by,_258 
Virgil  (Thornton's),  20 
Virgilii,  Pasquale  de',  217,  218 

Nicolo  de'  Rienzi  by,  218 
Viviani,  Emilia,  402,  447,  452,  502 
Vokins,  47,  59,  60 
Voltaire,  317,  337 


W 

Wain  WRIGHT,  221 
Walker  Art-Gallery,  Liverpool,  486 
Wallenstadt,  Lake  of,  124 
Waller  (Fleet  St.),  411,  413 
Wallington,  Northumberland,  207 
Wallis,  Henry,  407,  503 

Return  from  Marston  Moor  by,  139 
Wallisellen,  124 
Wansbeck  (steamer),  28 
Ward,  Artemus,  227 
Ward,  Harry,  339,  380 
Warden,  The  (house),  237 
Warwick,  326 

Washington  (D.  C),  180,  358,  403 
Washington  Star,  The,  355 
Water-colour  Society,  224,  253,  395 


Waterford,  Lady,  199 
Watson,  J.  D.,  243 
Watt,  448 
Watteau,  232,  392 

Wedding  Procession  by,  392 
Watts,  George  F.,  202,  224 

Clytie  by,  322,  403 

Daphne  by,  403 

Endymion  by,  403 

Millais,  portrait,  by,  403 
Watts,  T.  E.,  325 
Waugh,  Gledstanes,  261 
Waugh,  Mr,  301 
Waugh,  Mrs,  225 

Webb,  Philip,  5,  231,  246,  276,  277, 

278,  280,  346,  347 
Webster's  English  Dictionary,  275 
Weekes,  514 

Shelley  Monument  by,  514 
Wellington,  The  (Club),  243 
Wells,  H.  T.,  494 
Westness,  Thomas,  508 
Whistler,  J.  M.,  ix.,  14,  130,  196,  222, 
228,  229,  233,  234,  235,  245,  246, 
257,  303,  306,  319,  320,  495 
Portrait  of  himself  by,  222 
Princesse  du  Palais  de  Porcelaine  by, 
105 

Symphony  in  White,  No.  3,  by,  228 
Whistler,  Mrs,  320 
Whistler,  Wm.,  235,  245 
Whitman,  Walt,  ix.,  x.,  181,  231,  240, 
243,  244,  245,  270,  283,  297,  320, 
342,  351,  355,  357,  358,  359,  366, 
386,  403,  404,  418,  459,  460,  492, 
497-  507,  508,  519,  520 
Carol  of  Harvest  by,  270 
Democracy  by,  284,  287 
Drum-taps  by,  181,  357 
Leaves  of  Grass  by,  ix.,  x.,  181,  230, 
275,  283,  284,  286,  287,  340,  343, 
356,  357,  363,  364,   365,  403, 
459,  476,  497,  507,  509 
Lincoln's  Funeral-hymn  by,  284 
O  Captain,  my  Captain,  by,  1 81 
Selection  from,  by  W.  M.  Rossetti, 
ix.,  239,  240,  241,  243  to  246, 
274,  283,  285,  297,  306,  320,  351, 
356,  363,  497,  509,  516,  518 
Walt  Whitman  by,  343 
Wick  low,  Earl  of,  98 
Wierus,  485 
Wigand,  223 
Wilberforce,  80 
Wilding,  Alexa,  95,  244 
Wilding,  Mrs,  95 
Wilkinson,  Dr,  170,  368,  369 

Improvisations  of  the  Spirit  by,  170 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


559 


Williams,  Lieutenant,  399,  501,  514, 

516,  517 
Williams,  Miss,  402 
Williams,  Richard,  159 
Williams,  Roland,  160 
Williams,  W.  Smith,  17,  437 
Williamson,  Dr,  472,  475 
Wilson,  John,  393 
Wilson,  Dr,  389 
Winchelsea,  194,  201 
Windus,  B,  W.,  298,  299 
Windus,  Miss,  232 
Windus,  Mrs,  232 
Windus,  W.  L.,  232 

Burd  Helen  by,  232 
Winsor,  Charlotte,  157,  161 
Winterthur,  124 
Wood  Vale,  Cowes,  374 
Woodward,  B.  B.,  227 
Woolner,  Mrs,  199 

Woolner,  Thomas,  39,  46,  loi,  156, 
207,  225,  241,  273,  305,  321,  324, 
325,  328,  332,  391,  480,  510 

Browning,  Medallion  by,  306 

Elaine  by,  324 

Iliad,  Medallions  from,  by,  242 
Lord  Palmerston,  statue  by,  321,  324, 
328 

My  Beautiful  Lady  by,  39,  40 
Ophelia  by,  321,  324 
Sassoon,  Statue  by,  324 
Virgilia  by,  242,  324 


Wordsworth,  Wm.,  385,  386,  402 
Working    Men's    College,  London, 
482 

Wornum,  R.  N.,  235,  245,  383 
Wright  (of  Derby),  307 

Browni  ng's  Grandmother,  portrait,  by, 
307 

Wuits,  De,  35 
Wyatt,  Sir  Digby,  400 


Y 

Yarmouth  Roads,  29 
\  ork,  405 
Yorkshire,  5,  523 


Z 

Zaehringer  Hop,  Freiburg,  126 
Zohar  Kadash,  485,  486 
Zoological  Gardens,  Antwerp,  36 
Zoological  Gardens,  Brussels,  33 
Zoological  Gardens,  London,  185,  224, 
330 

Zum     Goldenen    Ochsen    (house  in 

Schaffhausen),  125 
Zum  Ritter  (house  in  Schaffhausen), 

125 
Zurich,  58 


Printed  by 
Oliver  and  Boyd 
Edinburgh 


